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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, July 3, 2015 | 12 OMHS says Good Samaritans helped save ducklings by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff The Oakville & Milton Humane Society is encouraging more people to contact it when they see wildlife in distress after receiving a phone call about a mother duck and her seven ducklings who became trapped on the QEW last Friday (June 26). Animal Control Officer Ayla Mittelholtz said around 9 a.m., she was called to the westbound QEW, just west of Trafalgar Road, after receiving a report about a mother duck and her babies attempting to cross the busy highway. Mittelholtz said the mother mallard was hit by a vehicle before her arrival, but was still alive. "She had made her way over to the median of the HOV lane. The call had been put in that she had ducklings. However, when I arrived, it was just mom. No ducklings in sight," she said. "She was severely injured, but still alive so I scooped her up and rushed her back to our facility to be attended to by our veterinary physicians." The mother duck did not survive. Mittelholtz said she was on her way back to the highway to try to locate the ducklings when she received a report they had been located by a member of the public. The little birds were wandering aimlessly on the other side of the highway, close to Dorval Drive. The Good Samaritan gathered up the seven ducklings and turned them over to the humane society. Mittelholtz said the babies appear to be just 24 hours old. She said the mother was taking them south, probably in search of a body of water, and sadly chose a very bad route. "We do have them in our care. They are perfectly healthy and unharmed," said Interlocking & Concrete Specialists These ducklings were rescued on the QEW Friday after their mother was fatally struck by a vehicle. The babies were eventually located wandering aimlessly at just 24 hours old. Here, they huddle safely in a coffee mug at the Oakville & Milton Humane Society (OMHS). | photo courtesy of the Oakville & Milton Humane Society (OMHS) Mittelholtz. "We will search for surrogate families for them throughout the town. If you find a mallard family that has young around the same age, you can pop them in and the parents will accept them." If this approach fails, Mittelholtz said, the ducklings will be taken to a wildlife rehabilitator, who will nurture, then release them. Mittelholtz advises people to contact the OMHS when they see an animal in trouble, noting that of all the vehicles that passed the duck family on the highway that morning, only one person took the time to call the humane society and another actually stopped to help. "Had it not been for these individuals, the mother would have suffered for a lot longer than she did and the ducklings might not have stayed together. They might have scattered," said Mittelholtz. "Without the family unit, ducklings that young just don't survive. They need each other." Anyone who sees wildlife in trouble can contact the OMHS at 905-845-1551. PERFECT ELECTRIC · Pebble Concrete · Stamped Concrete · Interlocking · Flagstone · Walkways · Garage Floors · Patios · Driveways · Curbs (French) With a Reliable Potlight Electrician Installation Over 25 Years Experience Connect SALE Residential & Commercial 15% * OFF Certified electricians New construction or Renovation Pot lights & fixture installation New circuits Hot tubs, Panel upgrades Landscape lighting Emergency backup generators Inspections for insurance Call Mario 905.842.7171 sunmarlandscape.com Free Estimates Licensed & Insured All Work Guaranteed (ECRA/ESA # 7001336) *Cannot be combined with any other offer. Expires Aug 31, 2015. Call us at 905-829-1079 OR 416-806-9113 · Email: paul@perfectelectric.com visit our new location in What's Good...? oakville open year round! 1515 Rebecca St. Corner of Rebecca & 3rd line "Formerly DiversiFieD Financial services" Katrina Dollano TCM Practitioner It is the fusion of balanced nutrition, mind and body with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), food cures, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Acupuncture and Chiropractic. ...That's Wellness by Design Call us TODAY to schedule a FREE Wellness consultation NEW SUMMER MENU! at What's Fresh Eatery Charleston Dollano Dr. Ron McAlister Executive Chef Chiropractor 800-HRBloCk | HRBLOCK.CA we don't miss a thingTM 125 Cross Ave., Oakville · www.whatsgoodwellness.ca · 905.845.5775