Firefighters have been busy lately rescuing ducklings at Sullivan's Pond in Dartmouth. While well-intentioned residents are helping the ducks, who keep getting stuck between tiers in the pond's fish ladder, the Fire Department says their safety is more at risk.
Fire crews have been called five times to help the ducks, as well as the people attempting to save them.
"The calls come in because people are getting in trying to assist the ducklings and that's our real concern," says assistant chief of Halifax Fire and Emergency, Chuck Bezanson. "The ducklings swim well, and they've got great moms who take care of them."
Halifax Fire and Emergency says there are safety risks for people who try to rescue the animals, including algae, rocks, and sharp edges – noting there is a fence surrounding the area for safety purposes.
Despite the safety risks, District Five councillor for Dartmouth Centre, Sam Austin says this issue could've been avoided with better planning.
"Clearly there's a design flaw here that didn't take into account the smallest and fluffiest residents of Dartmouth," says Austin. "The tiers are too high for the ducklings to hop up and the flow coming through the fish ladder is too strong to swim upstream – a problem discovered just this summer, with the first family of ducklings since the area was redesigned."
Halifax Water says it is aware of the issue and is working with an engineer to determine what solutions may be available to alleviate the problem.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Heather Butts
