Duck In A Bind Gets A Helping Hand From Piermont Firefighters

ORANGETOWN, NY — A bird in a precarious situation survived its harrowing ordeal thanks to the kindness of strangers.

On Monday, at approximately 12:45 p.m., the Piermont Fire Department Dive Team was dispatched to assist the Pearl River Fire Department with an animal rescue. The duck had a fishing leader wrapped around its leg, frozen in the ice.

Initially, the Hudson Valley Humane Society got the emergency call about the bird in distress in a frozen reservoir near Convent Road in Orangetown. The owner of the property, Veolia, was contacted and provided access so the bird, a Merganser, could be rescued. A team of responders convened on the scene, including Veolia personnel, the Orangeburg and Pearl River Fire Departments, the Piermont Fire Department's Dive Team, the Orangetown Police Department, the Orangetown Animal Control Officer and the Hudson Valley Humane Society.

Dive Lieutenants Scott and Jake Silva made the rescue.

"The bird is currently in intensive care and so far we know there are no broken bones, there is a tremendous amount of swelling, currently there is no necrotic tissue, but time will tell, and the bird also was hypothermic," the Hudson Valley Humane Society said in the most recent update on the bird's condition, posted on social media. "We will continue to update as we learn more. The HVHS transferred the bird to the Wild Bird Fund in Manhattan for expert care."