Sag Harbor Duck Saves Child, But Not the Otter Pond Ducks
In a second incident involving children put at risk, emergency response officials are crediting a Sag Harbor duck with helping to locate a missing child.
The child was visiting Sag Harbor on Thursday with his parents, who lost track of him and called police after being unable to locate him for 45 minutes.
“It turns out the kid had somehow crawled into a storm drain on Bay Street,” said Harold Enten, a search-and-rescue volunteer. “One of our team was searching that area, and he noticed a duck waddling around the storm drain grating in some kind of distress. So he approached the drain, and sure enough, the child was down there.”
The duck was photographed and will receive a special commendation from the governor at a ceremony in the fall.
Hamptons Police say the Sag Harbor duck population near Bay Street has been helpful and kind over the years, but they warned locals and visitors not to confuse these amiable birds with a much more aggressive gang of ducks and geese lurking around Otter Pond on the far end of the Village.
“Those who have brought bread to Otter Pond and encountered these ducks, and lived to tell the tale, can tell you from experience—these fellows don’t mess around,” Hamptons Police spokesman Larry Hirsch said on Friday. “They will literally run you down just on the expectation you might have bread,” Hirsch added. “If you actually bring bread, I’ll pray for your safe return.”
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