Springfield Police, DPW rescue ducklings from storm drain

By Jeanette DeForge, Mass Live
Original article HERE

When police say they protect and serve the whole community, it turns out they even mean the members with webbed feet and feathers.

City Police Officer Rafael Vega is receiving praise for helping to rescue a family of at least nine ducklings who fell into a storm drain on the busy Parker Street Wednesday.

A woman initially spotted a mother duck in distress and realized her ducklings had toddled one-by-one into a storm drain on Parker Street. The woman then spotted a police officer at a gas station on Cooley Street and asked for help, said Ryan Walsh, police spokesman.

After the rescue she contacted police to thank them for the duck rescue and  Walsh posted her letter on Facebook.

Vega, who is in the department’s Ordinance Unit, was holding a Coffee with a Cop when the woman approached him. He contacted the Department of Public Works and employees at Braman Termite & Pest Elimination to marshal help for the duckling rescue, Walsh said.

“He agreed to come and take a look and called the DPW to come and pull off the storm drain so the chicks could be scooped out,” the woman wrote. “He even positioned his car to protect the very worried mama duck from getting hit.”

The rescuers then fished out the ducklings and placed them in a bucket. They later released them and their mother to a safe and storm drain free spot, Walsh said.

“I know our officers often do dangerous things to keep the citizens of Springfield safe and I’m just grateful to have found one this a.m. (who) was as keen to save those ducks as I was. Thanks again for your service,” the woman wrote.