Ferndale DPW Saves Ducklings from 8 Mile Road Traffic (video)
(Crystal A. Proxmire, May 13, 2016)
Ferndale, MI – What would have been a day of spreading wood chips ended up in a mad dash to save the lives of nine ducklings who were orphaned in the median of 8 Mile near Woodward.
Crew members from the Ferndale Department of Public Works (DPW) watched as a mother mallard and her nine babies were waddling up the busy road.  The family made it to the median but the mom flew back into the road and was struck by a vehicle.
Carlos Kennedy and the other crew members quickly grabbed a pickle bucket and began scooping up the frightened ducklings.
“They were all over,” Kennedy said.  “We were tying to keep them from going back on the boulevard there, and not to get run over ourselves.”
They brought the ducklings back to DPW headquarters where Roger Long and crew members inside made them a home out of a cardboard box with a lamp to keep them warm.
“We picked these guys up and brought them back here and tried to keep them healthy and give them food and a place to sleep,” Kennedy said.
Long’s wife went to the pet food store, and was delighted to find they had duck chow, which the babies seemed to be enjoying.
The ducks will head north Friday afternoon according to Long, who said that former Ferndale Police Detective Rick Jones has a farm where ducks and other animals have plenty of space to roam free without the danger of fast 8 Mile traffic.
“I’m so proud of these guys,” said DPW Director Loyd Cureton.  “They’re out here every day, really caring about the community, how it looks, how everything works.  They put a lot of pride in their work, and they have good hearts.”