Good samaritans join together to help a mother duck crying out for help in Delaware Water Gap. Her ducklings had fallen into a storm drain.
It was a page out of a children's story book. It all started when East Stroudsburg Resident Carolyn Hoos was coming home from the grocery store and spotted a duck in distress near the Delaware Water Gap Welcome Center.
Hoos says, "I kind of knew from having ducks prior what the mama’s distress looks like and they chirp real loud."
She stopped and found the mama’s babies had fallen into a storm drain. A gentleman mowing the grass at the center stopped to help her. When they couldn’t get the storm drain open they went inside to call in professionals.
Hoos says, "The Game Commission said they couldn’t do it because they don’t lift the storm drains, that we would need to call the fire department."
That’s when East Stroudsburg Resident Dominic Pemberton asked if he could lend a hand. He was able to lift it up. Hoos climbed in to get three out and then his son army crawled into the drain for the rest.
Pemberton says, "You have a lot of experience right, Call of Duty, all those games so I told him it was time for him to act it out and live it out. He was up for the task, didn’t take that much convincing."
11-year-old Dominic Pemberton, Jr. says, "If it was like me and my parents were looking for me, then I would wish someone would do the same thing."
It took about an hour to rescue all six but they wouldn’t have given up until they were all out no matter how long it took.
Hoos says, "I knew that these babies were her lifeline and I wanted to save them. And if everybody did that and showed that one act of kindness, think how much better our wildlife system would be."
Pemberton says, "I think that’s just what humans are supposed to do, try to help out as much as they can. Try to be there when there’s a crisis or someone in need, that’s the main thing to be God-like and help out."
The rescuers saw the mother duck fly under the bridge and Hoos is now working to reunite the family.
Hoos says, "I’m hoping she’ll hear the chirping and I’m going to get them into the area where the soccer fields are here at Minisink Park, hopefully she’ll follow me and I’ll leave the babies there for her to care for them."
Unfortunately, the mom has not shown up yet, but Hoos is going to keep searching for her. If she doesn’t end up finding her, she’s going to take the ducklings to Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
