Lewes firefighters rescue ducks
Mother’s Day had a happy ending for a family of ducks, thanks to the Lewes Fire Department.
Chief Bill Buckaloo recounted the story to mayor and city council May 12. Buckaloo said he responded to a call at Staples on Route 1 about 11 p.m., May 11.
He said a woman walking her dog came upon a frantic mother duck, whose six babies had fallen into a storm drain behind the shopping center.
He said firefighters from the Nassau station arrived and jumped into action, even though the mom was not happy to see them.
“She went and attacked the two ambulance guys. They were running, feathers were flying. It’s a good thing they had long pants on,” he said. “But then she calmed down. I guess she realized that we were helping them.”
While the mother duck paced back and forth, firefighters went to work.
They pulled up the grate, dropped a ladder down and lifted the ducklings to safety one by one.
“The mother wouldn’t leave until all six were there. Then, they just marched off. Mother Nature is a beautiful thing,” Buckaloo said.
Bill Shull has been covering Lewes for the Cape Gazette since 2023. He comes to the world of print journalism after 40 years in TV news. Bill has worked in his hometown of Philadelphia, as well as Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He came to Lewes in 2014 to help launch WRDE-TV. Bill served as WRDE’s news director for more than eight years, working in Lewes and Milton. He is a 1986 graduate of Penn State University. Bill is an avid aviation and wildlife photographer, and a big Penn State football, Eagles, Phillies and PGA Tour golf fan. Bill, his wife Jill and their rescue cat, Lucky, live in Rehoboth Beach.
