A fire department in the German state of Lower Saxony intervened when a duck’s feathers froze to the surface of a pond near a sewage treatment plant.
A spokesman for the fire department in the city of Braunschweig said the crew successfully freed the bird from its plight.
The duck was then handed over to the Braunschweig Animal Protection Organization, whose local members also reached the spot. braunschweig newspaper The newspaper reported.
The German dpa news agency reported that it was initially unknown whether the animal was sick or injured. However, nature conservation organization Naboo says that healthy ducks and other waterfowl usually do not freeze to ice.
Nabu said, even if they roam around on the ice for hours, such birds do not feel cold. The creatures have highly efficient heat exchange systems in their limbs, meaning they lose little heat even when their feet are in direct contact with the snow. This also stops the melting of snow beneath them.
However, sick or injured animals freeze to death on the ice and require human assistance if exposed to prolonged cold.
Materials from dpa news agency were used to compile this report
