Thirteen Ducks and an Owl All Part of a Week’s Work

La Grange animal control officer Justin Pietsch had an interesting week.

Besides the routine barking dogs and stray cats, Pietsch also responded to calls involving 13 ducks and an owl caught in a fence.

On Friday, May 31, Pietsch got a call from some City employees who saw the group of wild ducks – 11 ducklings, a hen and a drake. They were crossing the fourway intersection at Travis St. and Jefferson St. A short time later, en employee at Fayette Savings called and reported that the flock was moving towards the Post Office and City Hall.

Pietsch located the ducks at the railroad tracks near Casino Hall. He caught the babies using a net and then placed them in a carrier at the back of the truck.

“They were squawking, which kind of distracted the mom and the drake, and then I was able to catch them,” Pietsch said.

Pietsch relocated the ducks to a pond in the country.

“I have a gentleman out of town who enjoys seeing the ducks in his pond,” he said. “With them being wild, that was the best place for them to go. The mom can get very aggressive when you mess with the little ones.”

The day before, on Thursday, May 30, Pietsch responded to an owl caught in a barb wire fence on Pine Ridge Rd. in the Cedar Creek subdivision.

“Somehow, it managed to get twisted in the barbs,” Pietsch said.

Pietsch consulted with a local game warden, and they discovered that the owl had broken a wing and ripped some of its skin off.

“Unfortunately, the owl had to be put down due to its injuries,” he said.

Also last week, Pietsch caught two armadillos, two opossums, and three stray cats, which he described as fairly routine.