Churchgoers discovered a group of trapped orphaned ducklings, stuck in drain, at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church this past Sunday. On Sunday, June 26th, members of the Smithtown Parish began searching for the source of unusual sounds after Mass. They discovered the faint cries were coming from the bottom of a storm drain, where the brood, minus Momma Duck were trapped.
Parishioners called the Smithtown Fire Department to come to the rescue of the ducklings. Smithtown Fire Departments 2nd Assistant Chief, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Arrived on scene, immediately calling for a crew to lift the the storm drain’s grade. Shortly thereafter, Engine Company 4 arrived to remove the grade and began a rescue mission. The team of firefighters carefully extracted all of the ducklings, all healthy and free of injury.
The Smithtown fire department reached out to Sweetbriar Nature Center to see if the ducklings would be candidates for the Wildlife Rehabilitation program. Sweetbriar Nature Center’s Wildlife Rehabilitation program quickly agreed to give the orphans a new home. The orphaned ducklings will receive quality medical care and rehabilitation at Sweetbriar, where they will learn the basic survival skills, necessary to thrive in the wild.
The Smithtown fire department credits the efforts of the churchgoers, the dedicated staff at Sweetbriar combined with the courageous and humane efforts of their firefighters for granting these ducklings a miraculous chance at a happy and healthy lifespan.
If you want to view the progress the ducklings, stop by the Sweetbriar Nature Center this Summer!