Windham Police Rescue 10 Ducklings from Storm Drain

Sometimes the smallest lives are worth the biggest effort.

Sara Brodeur was driving along Landing Road in Windham, Maine, on a rainy Sunday when she noticed something odd. A mother duck was behaving strangely near a stormwater drain, pacing and visibly distressed.

Brodeur stopped her car and walked over to investigate. That's when she heard it: the unmistakable chirping of ducklings coming from below the roadway.

Peering into the storm drain, she spotted several tiny ducklings trapped underground with no way out. She immediately called the Windham Police Department.

Officer Sinclair responded along with Sgt. Fournier and Sgt. Cook. Armed with a pry bar and a large net, the team got to work in the cold, rainy weather.

Nine ducklings came out relatively quickly. But the tenth had other plans.

The determined duckling swam deeper into the underground pipes, evading capture. Officers persisted, carefully maneuvering their net through the drain system until they finally scooped up the adventurous bird.

Sunny's Take

This rescue shows what's best about small-town policing. These officers could have dismissed the call as trivial, but they didn't.

They spent their Memorial Day weekend in the rain, using whatever tools they had, to save lives that some might consider insignificant. Officer Sinclair, who recently helped round up wandering cows on Grey Road, is building quite the reputation as Windham's go-to animal rescuer.

Sara Brodeur could have kept driving. Instead, she stopped, listened, and acted. Several other bystanders also stopped to help or offer encouragement during the rescue.

The Windham Police Department later shared videos of all ten ducklings waddling safely away with their mother at a nearby pond. Every single baby made it home.