St. Tammany Firefighters Receive PETA Award for Rescuing Ducklings

First Responders Retrieve Baby Birds From Storm Drain, Reuniting Feathered Siblings With Mother

For Immediate Release:
April 30, 2015

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Courtesy of PETA, a Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way to St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 1 for its clever rescue of six ducklings who were trapped in a storm drain. Rescuers were able to lure the birds to safety with the help of a duck-quacking ringtone that they played from a cell phone. Firefighters worked for over two and a half hours to rescue the ducklings, who were then reunited with their nearby mother. This isn’t the first time that they’ve come to the rescue of an animal in need—last week, the department rescued a duck who was trapped in a chimney.

“These firefighters’ patience and dedication paid off tenfold for these ducklings,” says PETA Senior Director Colleen O’Brien. “PETA hopes their compassion will inspire people everywhere to come to the aid of animals in need.”

For their compassion for animals, St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 1 will receive a framed certificate, a box of vegan cookies, and a copy of The Engine Two Diet—a Texas firefighter’s 28-day plan for staying in prime firefighting shape through eating plant-based meals.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—offers tips for helping wildlife on its website.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.