OC Deputies Save Ducklings In Storm Drain While Mother Duck Watches

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — Seven baby ducklings were reunited with their mother Sunday morning, thanks to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies patrolling a Rancho Santa Margarita neighborhood were flagged down by a resident Sunday morning in reference to a mother duck in distress on the side of the road.

"Deputies realized that her babies were all stuck in a nearby storm drain," OCSD spokesman Todd Hylton told Patch. "They were quick to act."

The officers were able to remove the manhole cover to enter the storm drain, and seven baby ducklings were retrieved unharmed.

"Driving around early [Monday] morning, deputies happened to see the happy family out on a leisurely stroll, all together again," the department said in a statement.