Five seems to be the magic number in a rescue operation that occurred Tuesday, May 18. Five quick-acting staff members rescued five ducklings from a storm drain using a five-gallon bucket and a broom.

Wade Rose saw the mother duck with her 10 ducklings in the Easton Café water feature. Soon after, five of the ducklings slid down the storm drain. He acted quickly, by alerting members of  facilities—Dave Washington, Mike Mulligan, Victor Gullo and John Haggerty. Washington and Gullo lifted the manhole cover near where the ducks fell in, and Gullo descended underground to rescue the ducklings.

“I tried to make duck noises at them, but ended up just using a broom to guide them into a bucket,” says Gullo.

“It feels awesome to be a part of this rescue,” says Washington.

Once the five ducks were in the bucket, Gullo and Washington brought them back to the safety of the pond. The five remained a little too curious, however, as they immediately started climbing the sides of the pond and sliding back into the water.

Also last week, the mother duck was seen diverting her ducklings into the Kuch Hospitality Suite on Wednesday as a hawk flew overhead. Facilities staff let her stay inside until the coast was clear.