POMPTON LAKES, N.J. (AP) -- A happy ending for 10 ducklings who accidentally waddled into a storm drain in northern New Jersey.
The three-inch mallard chicks were quickly reunited with their anxious mother on Friday, thanks to an alert Pompton Lakes resident and a crew from the Passaic County town's Public Works Department.
The resident saw the mother duck quacking frantically in the middle of the street and stopping traffic. When she saw what had happened, the resident notified police, who alerted the DPW crew.
The workers soon opened the storm drain grate, and each of the unharmed brown, black and yellow ducklings were scooped to safety. They were then returned to their mother, who was waiting anxiously in some nearby bushes.