Inverness residents rescue ducklings fallen into drain near Stratherrick Park
by Peter Jolly
A team of kind-hearted Inverness residents and workmen saved the day for a mallard family after a brood of ducklings fell into a drain.
On Thursday, a postie passing near Stratherrick Park spotted a distressed mother duck with a group of ducklings gathered at the top of a manhole, and noticed that four of them had fallen down a three-foot drain.
He then alerted local residents, and a three-hour rescue operation to reunite the family began.
Workmen at a nearby building also joined in the efforts to save the ducklings, helping to open the metal grate.
However, the ducklings had waddled into the pipes. One of the residents, Donnie MacLennan, used a kitchen sieve taped to a curtain pole to create a makeshift net.
To lure the brood out of the pipe, rescuers had the cunning idea to play a YouTube video of quacking ducks — and were able to scoop the escapees out once they reappeared.
Mr MacLennan said “it was great to be able to rescue them” and reunite them with their mother and siblings.
