Dive Team Braves Cold Water To Save Distressed Duck

A fire department’s dive team braved freezing water under snowy skies to rescue a young duck tangled in a fishing line outside Denver, on Friday. It happened in Jefferson County, Colorado, and started when an animal control officer responded to a call about a duck trapped in fishing line about 20 yards offshore in the freezing waters of Crown Hill Lake, the central water feature of Crown Hill Park. The officer, who was dressed in waders, ventured chest-deep in the waters with a long net, but was not quite able to reach the distressed duck.

T​hat's when the dive team from West Metro Fire Rescue stepped (or perhaps we should say dove) in. Suiting up in dry suits, they were able to safely swim out to rescue the duck, carefully cutting it free from the fishing line. Once they had brought the bird, identified as a juvenile male Goldeneye, to shore, they noticed a lure embedded near its shoulder, and took it to a nearby wildlife rehabilitation center for expert care and treatment.

“Always properly dispose of fishing lines and hooks to help protect wildlife. Your small actions can save lives!” the sheriff’s office said in a post on social media site X.

Senior writer Chris DeWeese edits Morning Brief, The Weather Channel’s weekday newsletter.