LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Christa Hall called everyone she could after seeing a mother duck frantic in the parking lot of Patrick's Furniture off of Preston Highway after the duck's 12 ducklings fell through a grated manhole.
She and a group of concerned strangers waited until Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) and Okolona Fire Department arrived and made a plan of action to save the ducklings.
"This shows there's still some good in the world," one woman said.
"This is a miracle," Hall told WHAS11 while holding the first duckling saved. She named the small yellow and brown baby bird "Lucky."
MSD pulled the grated cover off of the manhole with one of their trucks and Okolona firefighters quickly got to work. Firefighter Taylor McMahan climbed into the manhole, not much bigger than him, and started to retrieve ducklings.
When some of the ducklings were out of reach, McMahan would hold one of the saved siblings and use their quacks to draw out the other ducklings. At one point, McMahan pulled out his phone and pulled up duck calls.
After nearly two hours, the last of the ducklings was pulled from the manhole and all were returned to their nest in a small bush on one of the parking lot's medians. After all the trucks and cars had cleared, the mother duck ran across the parking lot and was reunited with the 12 ducklings, safe and sound.
"It was cold, but it was cool. Definitely cool," McMahan said afterwards. "It was nice to get them all out of there without them all running out on us."
Hall called the act of kindness by all of those involved a "blessing."
"It was heartwarming," she said. "They're amazing. Not only do they fight fires but they're here for other needs as well. Just amazing men."
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