On a dreary finals week Monday afternoon, some Penn State students played hero on the streets of State College.

Penn State juniors Tara Wahn and Noah Thies were walking just outside their homes on South Atherton Street when they spotted a group of seven baby ducks that were stuck in a storm drain and isolated from their mother. Naturally, and perhaps out of finals week boredom, they sprung into action.

“It was obvious the little guys needed some assistance and were stuck,” Thies said. “So, we devised a plan to get them out and back to their mother.”

The group quickly removed the storm grate and hopped into the sewers to remove the baby ducks. Thies credited an unnamed woman for hopping into the sewage drain to help pick up the ducks and hand them to folks standing on the street.

“The girl that hopped into the drain was great and did it without hesitation,” Thies said. “The other two folks there were also very helpful. We worked together without even exchanging names.”

The group was able to remove five of the seven baby ducks that fell, but two were too scared to be picked up. They needed to wait for the two remaining ducks to get close enough to grab and transport out of the drain. While they were waiting, the mother started off with the previously saved ducklings.

“We noticed the mother started going away, so we had to track her down,” Thies said. “Some may say it was a wild duck chase.”

Luckily for the ducks, Thies, Wahn, and the group were able to return them safely to their mother after about 15 minutes of searching around the neighborhood.

“It was really sweet to see the ducks return to their family after we found the mom,” Wahn said.

The couple credited the good samaritans for helping out and saving the baby ducks from certain doom a sticky situation. With these baby ducks safe, everyone can hopefully smile a little bit more as final exams get closer.