WATCH ABOVE: A family of ducks was stuck on the autoroute near the Ste-Marie exit in Kirkland. Luckily for them, the SQ was called in to help in the rescue.
MONTREAL – On Saturday morning, Rob Boisvert got a call from Debbie Sakaitas about a family of ducks stuck on Highway 40, near the Ste-Marie exit in Kirkland.
Luckily, Boisvert, who hails from Alexandria Ontario was only 10 minutes away from the scene.
An animal rescuer by trade, Boisvert was the man to call.
By the time he reached the ducks, one of the ducklings had already been hit by a car.
Boisvert says that when he spotted the birds on the busy stretch of highway, he put on his hazards and moved onto the paved shoulder on the left side of the passing lane, shielding the ducks from oncoming traffic.
He then called 911, and to his great surprise and relief, two Sûreté du Québec (SQ) cruisers answered the call.
One of the cruisers pulled up in front of Boisvert’s vehicle and the other parked his car crosswise, blocking all lanes of the highway to traffic.
Boisvert was then able to safely escort the mother duck and her seven ducklings across the road and out of harms way.
A video of the salvage operation was posted on YouTube.
As a professional rescuer with with Refuge RR, Boisvert has plenty of experience bringing animals to safety.
If other motorists find themselves in similar circumstances, Boisvert recommends calling 911.
“Call 911. Don’t try to be an animal rescuer.”
He says that all anyone wants, is to avoid a repeat of the tragic accident that cost the life of two motorcyclists in June 2010.
In that incident Emma Czornobaj stopped her car on the side of a Montreal-area highway to rescue some ducklings when the motorcycle carrying Andre Roy and his teenager daughter Jessie slammed into her vehicle.
READ MORE: Stopping on highways to help ducks cross is a hazard: Ontario police
Boisvert has rescued all sorts of animals, including horses, cattle, water fowl, as well as racoons and domestic animals.
He says that experience helps him understand how certain animals behave in a particular situations.
Boisvert says he will be contacting the SQ to extend a “personal message of thanks” to the officers involved in the rescue.
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