Seven Ducklings Plucked To Safety From Ridgewood Storm Drain

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Seven ducklings will live to quack again thanks to some firefighters and a police chief in northern New Jersey.

A resident alerted Police Chief John Ward after spotting a nervous mother duck and one duckling at her side by a storm drain in Ridgewood Friday.

Firefighters lifted the storm grates and spotted the baby ducks trapped inside the drain.

Ward said the mother duck was "quacking her concern" but overall seemed comfortable around people and stood by as her babies were rescued.

The ducklings were taken out one by one and Ward said traffic had to be stopped after some of the baby ducks waddled into the street.

"None of them seemed to be injured at all, they were all bouncing about," Ward said. "They seemed to be literally just a few days old. It looks like they were trying to cross the street and couldn't make the leap over the storm drain."

The ducklings were eventually led away to safety by their mother.

"I'd rather go to a thousand of these than some of the stuff that officers have to see on a regular basis," Ward.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)