Duck and Brood Create Big Flap at Intersection

CANOGA PARK — For a few tense moments Sunday morning, a duck controlled traffic at a busy intersection.

It was just after 11 a.m. when the call came in to the West Valley station of the Los Angeles Police Department, alerting officers that a mallard was standing in the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Independence Avenue, refusing to move, according to Sgt. Dan Mastro.

It seems that the duck, which Mastro described as “brilliantly multicolored green,” had a family matter that none of the impatient drivers trying to get through the intersection noticed.

“As the officer walked up, he saw the duck walking frantically around the gutter,” Mastro said.

Officer Robert Falconer approached the duck, peered into the drain and saw that six ducklings were trapped inside.

Falconer dropped to the ground and stuck his arm into the drain. The ducklings crawled atop his arm and Mastro pulled them out, unharmed.

One lane of traffic was shut down for about 15 minutes until Department of Animal Regulation officials arrived to herd the family into a truck and take it into custody.

Mastro said the ducks probably strayed from Pierce College, where they are raised with other animals.

Falconer’s good Samaritanism saved the ducks, but made him an easy target for friendly joking from his co-workers.

“The whole division is quacking on the PA system,” Mastro said, laughing. “They will probably have a flier around here tomorrow.”