SIX ducklings have been rescued from a weir following a gruelling rescue operation which took nearly four hours.

The young ducklings had become trapped after their mother had chosen a rather awkward place to have her babies – a small, enclosed pond area fed by the canal in Brecon town centre, near Kensington Road.

The difficult location meant the ducklings swam through a sluice gate and then became trapped under an 18-foot-long grated funnel that fed into the river.

The trapped ducklings were spotted by a member of the public on Saturday, May 14, who reported the matter to the RSPCA.

County Times: Mighty ducks: The ducklings are now being looked after by experts until they are ready to be released back into the wild Mighty ducks: The ducklings are now being looked after by experts until they are ready to be released back into the wild

Inspector Holly Brown said: “It was a very tricky job getting the little guys out from under the grating.

“Unfortunately, the ducklings weren’t able to join the mother duck after they had got separated so they were found alone.”

Holly made several attempts to use a pole and nets to catch the furry new-borns but wasn't able to, so she called the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service for their assistance.

READ MORE:

“It took the help of the local on-call firefighters from Brecon Fire Station and several hours to free the six adorable but uncooperative ducklings who were not very grateful to be rescued.

“The fire service had to lift the heavy metal grates and then we had to persuade the ducks to swim a certain way before catching them in nets. But they kept swimming away so it took a long time to get each one.

“The ducklings all appeared to be in good health and have been placed in the temporary care of a wildlife officer before being transferred to a wildlife centre. They will be reared by the dedicated staff there until they are ready to be returned to the wild.”

County Times: A quacking effort: The dramatic rescue took several hours A quacking effort: The dramatic rescue took several hours

Holly said she’d like to thank Brecon Rescue Station for their help. “I’d like to say a massive thank you to the crew for their hard work, patience and determination to free these little guys. It really took hours.

“We very much appreciate their expertise and are grateful for our partnership working to help protect wildlife.”

For more information on what to do if you find a potentially orphaned duckling, or to help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care, visit the RSPCA website or call our donation line on 0300 123 8181.