Ducklings are rescued after falling through cattle grid

NINE ducklings that fell through a cattle grid would have perished had they not been spotted and rescued in time by Durrus woman Deb Linch.

She told The Southern Star she was checking part of the property when she heard the mother duck and the duckling raising a commotion.

‘I walked towards the noise and could see the mother and one duckling hovering around the cattle grid. When I looked down, I could see nine furry bodies all frantically scrabbling around the bottom of the 4ft pit,’ said Deb.

‘Luckily, a guest at one of the holiday homes left behind a child’s fishing net so I retrieved that from the shed and spent the next ten minutes scooping the ducklings out and into a bucket.

‘Boy can they move,’ said Deb, who decided to keep them all together until the rescue mission was over. Then she transported the unceremoniously to an adjacent field where they were reunited with their mother.

‘They are wild ducks – it’s like a nature reserve out here,’ said Deb, who had the presence of mind to film the whole thing on her phone and she kindly shared that video with The Southern Star.

‘Since then,’ Deb said, ‘I’m happy to say I’ve seen Mother Duck and her ten babies happily on the river.’