VANCOUVER, Wash. — Why did the ducks cross the road? The Washington State Department of Transportation says it’s to prove they aren’t chicken.
Over the weekend, a WSDOT crew helped a mama and her babies cross State Route 500 in Vancouver.
On Saturday morning, the department’s incident response team worked with Washington State Patrol to rescue the feathered family.
WSP troopers did a rolling slowdown so a member of WSDOT could move the ducks to the right shoulder.
The worker grabbed the mama duck and scooped the ducklings into a bucket and carried them down the on-ramp.
The duck and its babies were dropped off in a marshy field away from the road.
Sometimes ducks cross the road to prove they aren’t chicken. This weekend, this mama and her babies needed a little help getting across SR 500 in Vancouver. On Saturday morning, Incident Response Team member Jake teamed up with Washington State Patrol to rescue this family. WSP did a rolling slowdown so Jake could move the ducks to the right shoulder. Once the ducks flocked to the shoulder, WSP troopers and Jake grabbed the mama duck and collected the ducklings in a bucket. We’ll pause here so you can check the photos because - yes - a bucket of ducklings is as cute as you’re picturing. Anyway, the humans walked the ducks down the on ramp and dropped them off in a marshy field away from the road. Jake says it’s the first time he’s had to chase ducks on the side of a freeway, but he’s happy they were able to save all of them! Thanks to our crews and WSP partners for keeping everyone safe out there - including the feathered kind! 🪶
Posted by WSDOT on Monday, April 7, 2025
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