Stevens Point Firefighters Free 8 Ducklings From Drain

A mother duck's worst morning turned into a heartwarming rescue on a Stevens Point street corner Monday, thanks to three firefighters who wouldn't take no for an answer from a stubborn storm drain.

Someone called 911 around 6 a.m. after spotting eight ducklings trapped beneath a grate on Third Street. Their mother paced nervously above, unable to help her babies who had tumbled through the metal bars.

The Stevens Point Fire Department arrived ready to help, but the storm drain cover had other plans. The grate was completely stuck, refusing to budge despite their initial efforts.

Lt. Justin Thomson grabbed a sledgehammer and went to work loosening the heavy cover. Firefighter Luke Fourness joined in with a Halligan tool, prying underneath the grate until it finally gave way after several determined minutes.

With the cover removed, firefighter Megan Meyers reached down with a net to carefully lift each duckling to safety. All eight babies immediately scurried to their mother, who had waited by the drain the entire time.

Sunny's Take

This rescue captures everything beautiful about small town heroes who treat every call with the same urgency, whether it's a person or a family of ducks. These firefighters could have called animal control and moved on to their next call. Instead, they broke out the heavy tools and got creative.

The image of that mother duck waiting patiently while strangers worked to free her babies reminds us that love and worry look the same across species. And those firefighters understood something important: sometimes the smallest rescues mean the world to someone.

The ducklings are now safe and reunited with their mother, hopefully waddling toward calmer waters.