Naples Woman Nabs PETA Award for Helping Duck Family Cross the Road

For Immediate Release:
May 28, 2021

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Action Award is on the way from PETA to Jessica Unda, who was en route to her birthday brunch on May 20 when she spotted a family of ducks crossing U.S. 41 onto the median. Concerned that the ducklings and their mother wouldn’t make it all the way across the busy road, Unda and her family circled back in their car—and as this video shows, she got out, stopped traffic, and ushered the birds to safety, to the cheers of spectators.

“To my surprise, it seems like [the mother duck] understood completely and knew I was there to help,” Unda tells PETA. “As soon as I signaled to her, she came right out without hesitation and began to cross the road. … What an awesome way to celebrate my birthday.”

“Our super-developed cities are leaving wildlife with fewer and fewer places of safety,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “PETA hopes Jessica’s kindness to this little family will inspire others to look out for wild animals who need help navigating the world we’ve built.”

Unda will receive a framed certificate and a box of delicious vegan cookies.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter,  Facebook, or Instagram.