Seven Ducklings Rescued from Storm Drain at NCHS

New Canaan Police Animal Control Officer Sean Godejohn on Wednesday morning rescued baby ducks stuck in a storm drain.

The seven ducklings prior to their rescue from the storm drain by ACO Sean Godejohn. Photo courtesy of NCPD

At about 10 a.m., a passerby at New Canaan High School could hear the baby ducks calling out to their mom from the drain, Godejohn told NewCanaanite.com, and placed a call to responders.

“If they had not been taken out of the storm drain they would have died,” Godejohn said. “Baby ducks don’t know how to properly preen themselves to waterproof their feathers.  So they become water logged and drown or become too cold and die.”

Public Works officials assisting Animal Control by removing the storm drain grate so that ACO Sean Godejohn could rescue seven stranded ducklings. Photo courtesy of NCPD

Godejohn was first on scene and called for the local Highway Department to help move aside a drain grate weighing about 200 to 300 pounds so he could get to the stranded ducklings.

“I released the first duckling to the mother to try to keep her in the area,” Godejohn said. “I then put the rest of the ducklings in a 5-gallon bucket.   hoped The chirping noise the ducklings make from the bucket would help keep the mom in the area. I also hoped the chirping would keep the trapped ducklings in the drain to stay near the opening.”

He rescued all seven ducklings from the storm drain, all of them healthy and unhurt.

“After I caught them all I released them back to the mom and they went on their way,” he said.