This is the adorable moment a mother duck guides her ducklings through the corridors of a school after nesting in an interior courtyard.
In the uplifting footage, the mother mallard enters one of the glass entrances to Gary Allan High School in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, before waddling her way through the hallways with her ducklings in tow.
Having made the roughly-two-minute walk through the interior of the school, the family then crossed the campus’ car park and a patch of grass, before settling in a creek on the other side.
According to the Halton School District Board, the ducks’ arrival is an annual occurrence.
For the past decade or so, a pair of mallard ducks have found their way to the school, where they then nest in the interior courtyard.
Once the ducklings hatch, the mother realizes there is no way out of the courtyard for the youngsters that are unable to fly, and so she heads to the doors of the school, taps her beak on the glass, and asks for a helping hand.
Hali Ruhl, a guidance counsellor at the school, witnessed the May 15 moment with Sean Mercer, AACE assistant in the learning Commons.
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Hali said: “As time passes by when the duck is sitting on her nest, more and more staff and students spend an increasing amount of time at the windows, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the ducklings.
“When the babies are ready and the mother is pacing at the door needing to make her way to the creek, we get so excited – we gather as many staff and students as possible and line the hallways so she can’t make a wrong turn.
“Anyone who has ever been involved knows that your cheeks hurt at the end, because you are smiling the whole time.
“Your heart beats quicker than normal, and you feel a little overwhelmed being present during such a momentous journey for the family.
“It’s a long walk for those little ducklings and you feel joy in helping them reach their destination.”
(Courtesy of T&T Creative Media)