While Central Maine Healthcare usually exclusively treats humans, there was an exception last week.
Passersby near CMMC’s main entrance saw a mother duck in distress, and when members of the security team came to check it out, they discovered a dozen of the duck’s chicks had gotten stuck in a storm drain. They made their best effort to get them out before calling the Lewiston Water and Sewer Division in for an assist. Workers from that department removed the drain covering and used a net to free most of the wayward ducklings.
A handful of them that were out of reach were rescued by a CMH security employee who partially climbed into the drain to free them.
“Thankfully public works was able to rescue most of the ducklings, but some began to waddle away further down the drain,” said Mason Arneault,” security officer at CMMC. “Joe Francoeur, being the selfless hero he always is, took off his vest right away and lowered himself into the drain to rescue the remaining four or five ducklings. I was then able to reunite the ducklings with their mother. It was amazing to see how much that mother duck cared for her ducklings.”
Molly Lovell, marketing and philanthropy specialist at Central Maine Healthcare, also helped free the remaining babies. “Everyone who saw our security team rescuing the ducklings was moved by the effort, including me. What a way to start a Monday morning,” she said.
Once reunited, mom and her babies waddled off to begin their next adventure.
