Jack Brooke-Battersby
By Jack Brooke-Battersby

Senior Staff Writer

21 April 2020

| | 2 min read

Council

Council officers rescue family of ducks from predators

Six young chicks had a close call when they came under attack from other birds in Newcastle on Friday.

The rescue consisting of council staff and RSPCA officer
The rescue team consisting of council staff and RSPCA officer

Magpies and seagulls had set their sights on the vulnerable ducklings in the grounds of the Civic Centre.

Eagle-eyed council staff however were on hand to come to the rescue and give sanctuary to the traumatised birds until the RSPCA arrived.

Facilities officer Stacey Randall, handyman Derek Slater and receptionist Alex Randall worked together to shield the young chicks and gently placed them into ventilated boxes.

Alex Randall watched over the birds that had been safely caught while one remaining chick evaded rescue attempts.

Mrs Randall said: “Alex was keeping them safe and warm in the ventilated box as advised over the phone by the RSPCA.

“But one final duck wouldn’t come near us, despite all three of us trying with boxes and buckets to try to capture it.

“The RSPCA officer then arrived with a net but couldn’t quite reach the final duck out of the Lord Mayor’s Pond.”

Cleaner Steve Mains then joined in the effort to reach the remaining duck and after a 90-minute chase carried out while adhering to social distancing measures, he was finally reunited with his siblings.

The birds, distressed by their ordeal, were handed into the care of RSPCA officer Heather Wade, who transported them safely to a sanctuary in Sunderland.

Heather said: “When I got there, their mum was nowhere to be seen.

“Council staff had already captured five of the six ducklings.

“The last one did cause us a bit of a challenge but happily we finally managed to reunite him with his brothers and sisters.

“I took them all to a local wildlife rehabilitator and they’ll be released back into the wild when they’re old enough.”