BRANDON, Fla. — Eight mallard ducklings were rescued from a stormwater grate after falling through on Thursday, officers said.
The ducklings were found near Causeway Boulevard in Brandon, east of Interstate 75.
The duckling's mother stayed in the area, waddling around and quacking to get someone's attention. That's when a Brandon resident called the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the county said in a statement.
Authorities called Hillsborough County Animal Control, which sent officers over.
The officers used a long-handled net to lift the ducklings from the storm drain, temporarily kept them in a cage and then released them next to a nearby pond.
The mother followed the officers to the pond, where she reunited with her ducklings and swam off together.