Date: Fri 26-Mar-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Mattegat-duck-chimney-Vavrek

Full Text:

Duck Quackdown On Stone Fence Lane

(with photo)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Four-year-old Matthew Vavrek told his mother he thought there might be a

leprechaun in the house Tuesday morning. He heard it laughing.

Cindy Vavrek heard it too, and she tracked the noise down to the chimney and

she heard a ruckus when she giggled the flue. Running outside to see what it

was, Cindy and her son spotted an adult wood duck perched atop the chimney of

their Stone Fence Lane home.

"I wonder if that was the duck in the chimney or if there was another duck

inside," Mrs Vavrek explained. "I jiggled the flue again and this time a wing

came flying out at me. I closed the flue quickly and called the dog warden."

The call was taken by animal control officers George Mattegat and Pat

Anzellotti -- neither of whom could believe a duck could have gotten stuck in

such a strange place. They responded to the scene, however, prepared for the

duck rescue.

Using gloves, Mr Mattegat managed to pull the duck out of the chimney. The

rescued fowl escaped his grasp briefly and quacked its way around the living

room until the two animal control officers were able to grab hold of it. After

a quick photo, the uninjured baby duck was set free.

"We let it out the back door and it flew away with no problem," Mrs Vavrek

explained.

Mrs Vavrek videotaped part of the event before the battery in her video camera

wore out.

For Mr Mattegat and Mrs Anzellotti, it was just another day on the job.

"We do snakes, ducks and everything else," he said. "Once we had a squirrel in

the fireplace. The lady had it barricaded. She thought it was making a peeping

noise until I told her it was her oscillating fan that was making the noise."

Mr Mattegat said he has also removed cats and raccoons from chimneys, but this

was his first duck.