The saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” On a recent afternoon in Athens, it took a village to rescue four ducklings.
What began as a routine drive for Athens Fire & Rescue firefighters quickly turned into an unexpected community effort after crews spotted a commotion in the median of U.S. 31 near Roselawn around 3:30 p.m.
According to the City of Athens, firefighters first feared they were responding to a medical emergency. Instead, they found four tiny ducklings stranded in the median while traffic passed on both sides of the highway.
They also realized they were not the first to notice the problem. Several motorists had already stopped their vehicles and jumped in to help the ducklings reach safety away from the road.
“Our guys didn’t hesitate,” Fire Chief James Hand said. “When the community steps up, we step up with them. That’s Athens.”
Firefighters joined the community rescue effort, carefully forming a perimeter to corral the ducklings and keep them from darting into traffic.
The rescue gained another helping hand when Athens-Limestone County Tourism Specialist Stephanie Reynolds happened to drive by and stopped to help.
“I’ve been raising ducks since I moved to Athens,” Reynolds said. “Right now I have about 30 at home. When I saw those babies in the median, I knew I had to help. These four will fit right in with the family.”
With Reynolds providing guidance, the group safely relocated all four ducklings.
For Reynolds, it was not her first encounter with wayward waterfowl.
“This isn’t my first feathery rescue,” Reynolds said with a laugh. “I’ve had a few daring saves near Big Spring Memorial Park by our office. Ducks have a way of finding trouble, and I guess I have a way of finding them.”
The ducklings are now safe and being cared for by Reynolds.
No injuries were reported during the rescue, either to the people involved or to the ducklings themselves.
Hand said the unusual rescue reflected the character of the Athens community.
“That tells you everything you need to know about this community,” Hand said. “We look out for each other.”
Sherri Blevins is a reporter for 256 Today.
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