After an eagle scared a mother duck away from her ducklings on the Juneau International Airport runway Sunday night, one woman made sure they wouldn’t face the night alone.
Juneau Police Department dispatcher Kelsey Thompson sat with the five small ducks through the night and kept them safe, according to JPD spokeswoman Erann Kalwara, who wrote about the rescue on social media.
“Dispatchers are first and foremost members of our community and Kelsey’s reaction to the stranded ducklings is just awesome,” Kalwara said.
When Thompson realized the mother duck wouldn’t return for her babies, she brought them with her to work the next morning, none of which surprised Kalwara, who said Thompson has previous experience raising ducks.
The ducklings sat with Thompson and other dispatchers until a volunteer from the Juneau Raptor Center could pick them up and take over their care.
“The ducklings stayed (with Thompson) as she worked 911 calls, radio traffic and requests for service from the public… (she) was dedicated to getting the ducklings help,” Kalwara said.
JPD’s Facebook posts about the rescue includes pictures of the ducklings in a makeshift nest (cardboard and paper napkins) and the dispatchers cradling the little ducks in their hands.
Praise for Thompson’s efforts can also be seen on JPD’s page:
“I (love) JUNEAU! JPD dispatcher girls you rock!” — Linda Trego
“Good job! As a former volunteer with JRC … it’s not easy being a duck momma but so worth it.” — Kathleen Houtz Benner
“So cute! Other duties as they present themselves. Lol. Poor momma duck. I bet she’s heart broken.” — Ann Wilkinson Lind
The ducks are now in the care of Raptor Center volunteers who were not available for comment. Thompson, after her stint as a duck-sitter, has the day off Tuesday and was also not immediately available for an interview.
