A p-lucky duck who was hit by a car and had his feet “hanging out of the grille” for three days is now recovering after being freed by a mechanic.
The mallard was hit on Saturday and became stuck, but the driver, who didn’t want to be indentified, only realised she had a travelling companion – which was still alive – on Tuesday.
The woman, who is from Baldock, contacted The Gatehouse Veterinary Surgery in London Road for help.
“We had a phone call to say that a lady had got a bird stuck in a car,” said vet Rachel Caplan.
“We really did not know what to do about it as she had been driving around with it stuck between the front grille and the radiator.
“She came down to the surgery and we were all looking at the car wondering how we were going to get this duck out. We then realised it was more of a job for nearby Baldock Tyres as they had the equipment available.
Baldock Tyres mechanic Andy Brennecke was given the unusual job of releasing the bird.
“We have never had anything happen like this before,” he said.
“The poor woman was horrified to find it had been in there after she saw movement from the front of the car. The duck was trapped behind the bumper, so we had to remove the bumper to get to it. We thought it might have broken a wing but it seemed ok. One of the boys wrapped it in a towel and took it back over to the vets.”
Roshani Siriwardena had been visiting friends in Baldock and was at the garage, also based in London Road, at the time.
She said: “The vet came over to ask if they could have a look as the lady was very upset. I could see the feet hanging out of the grille, I couldn’t believe it.
“I saw the duck when it came out, it looked a bit dishevelled but seemed unharmed. It’s nice to have a story with a happy ending.”
The duck was kept at the vets overnight and was due to be released yesterday (Wednesday).
Ms Caplan added: “He was a bit chesty so we kept him in. We plan to release him at a local pond.”
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