'Quite an adventure': Mount Prospect family teams with village workers to rescue ducklings
A Mount Prospect family's evening stroll turned into a subterranean waterfowl rescue this week.
Karla and Rocco Rubino and their 6-year-old daughter, Lena, were walking near a business park on the 400 block of Business Center Drive about 7:30 p.m. Thursday when a female duck ran toward them, quacking.
The duck then ran back and forth between the family and a nearby sewer grate, Karla Rubino recalled.
"She looked very stressed," Rubino said. "She was worrying, obviously."
Cautious yet concerned, the Rubinos walked to the sewer and heard squeaking from within. Using a flashlight, they peered in and spotted two ducklings that had fallen through the grate.
"They were hopping and trying to ... come back," Rubino said.
The Rubinos called Mount Prospect police, who responded and called the public works department for help.
With a small crowd forming, water system operator Jairo Gomez grabbed a net public works crews keep handy for just such emergencies.
"We do this from time to time," Public Works Director Sean Dorsey said.
Gomez removed the grate, went into the sewer and nabbed the ducklings.
"He gave them back to the mother, who was standing by, and everybody went on their way," Dorsey said. "They were good to go."
Gomez checked nearby sewer inlets to make sure no other animals were trapped. None were found.
Rubino was happy Gomez got the job done.
"It was quite an adventure," she said.