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Saskatoon police helped a feathered family reach safety on Thursday afternoon. Members of the bike patrol unit escorted a mother duck and her ducklings through Saskatoon’s busy downtown, blocking traffic for a short time at the intersection of Fifth Avenue North and 22nd Street East and as they crossed Spadina Crescent toward the riverbank.

Const. Joey Taylor was one of the officers who guided the ducks to water with fellow officer Const. Ryan Geib.

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“We came because the citizens were concerned,” Taylor said. “They saw them downtown, didn’t want anybody to get hurt and didn’t want any of the ducks to get hurt.”

Photo by Morgan Modjeski / Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Taylor said police blocked traffic and kept curious onlookers at a distance to ensure they were able to reach the bank of the South Saskatchewan River through Kiwanis Memorial Park.

“It’s certainly not a surprise that we got called, but at the same time, I’ve never escorted ducks down to the riverbank,” he said, adding it’s just another aspect of the job besides catching criminals.

“There’s certainly a lot of community policing to our job and there’s a lot more to it than what people read about in books and magazines,” he said.

“Obviously every day is different, and sometimes we have to deal with the safety of animals, including the safety of the public.”

The officers ensured the ducks made it safely into the river, helping one duckling into the water after it fell behind.

mmodjeski@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/MorganM_SP