Florida man called hero after he saves falling ducklings

TAMPA, Fla. — A man sprang into action Saturday and saved ducklings that were falling off a steep ledge at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida.

Eric Pelno was startled when a small duckling fell and hit his shoulder while he was walking with Channing Deren, WFLA reported.

Pelno saw more ducklings about to fall, so he began to catch and bring the animals to safety while Deren videotaped.

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"Eric is today's hero. There were 15-20 baby ducklings literally falling from a nest at least 30 feet high as we walked by. At first one hit my shoulder and we didn't know what was going on. Then Eric just went into beast mode and started catching ducklings from the sky" Deren said in a Facebook post.

Deren told WTVT that she and Pelno had been startled by seeing the ducks falling. "There were like 20 duck faces just looking down at us!" she said. "He'd catch it in one hand, and then he'll catch another one. I was just watching him thinking, 'How are you doing that?'"

Deren said the mother duck was nearby and reunited with her babies. One had a broken leg from the fall. WTVT reported that the injured duck was taken by Busch Garden staffers to get treatment, while Pelno became a Father’s Day hero to his daughter.

"She was, just, the whole rest of the day, 'My dad's a hero.' She was so excited." Deren said.

Cox Media Group