Mother duck and 10 ducklings hold up traffic in Eastbourne
Rescuers from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) were called to help with the incident on Thursday, April 6, as the family caused traffic on Eastbourne Road.
WRAS was originally called to Broad Road at around midday but on arrival found that the family had taken themselves into a garden in Oldfield Road.
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Hide AdA spokesperson said: “Having attended a mum and duckling last year at the same location rescuers had a good idea where she was going, but had to be careful not to push her in the wrong direction.
"Slowly with all 10 ducklings following mum, they walked down to Tott Yew Road where a footpath led out onto Eastbourne Road. WRAS already had an ambulance at this location in case they walked in that direction. Traffic kindly stopped for a few minutes to allow rescuers to escort the family across the busy road.”
The family was soon placed on the grass verge near Mornings Mill Farm where they walked across the fields to a nearby stream and pond.
Charity founder Trevor Weeks said: “These rescues are always difficult and we have to balance the disturbance to humans and the welfare of the mum and ducklings, which is difficult. She knows where she wants to go we just need to get her there safely.”
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Hide AdIt is common for ducks to nest in gardens and walk their youngsters to ponds once they are 24-hours-old as gardens are generally safer places to nest than ponds and rivers, according to WRAS.
Mr Weeks added: “We are sorry for the short delay to the traffic as a result of her crossing the road. We only had one negative comment. We would really like to thank everyone for being so patient and caring.”
WRAS said it is often asked why it does not just catch and move the ducks. Mr Weeks explained: "Catching mum and all the duckling is risky and could cause mum to abandon her family, or you could lose some of the ducklings as they scatter into bushes and vegetation.
"More importantly if you take them to the wrong location the mum is highly likely to walk off again once rescuers have left. So we have to weigh up the safety of walking them.”