Because of low water levels, the pond that ensnared the duckling had turned into a muddy quagmire. When Walt Lutz heard a mother duck frantically quacking near the pond on his property, he decided the duckling needed rescuing.
``The harder it struggled, the deeper it went,'' said Lutz, a retired account executive for Honeywell.
He pulled on his hip boots, grabbed a shovel and waded through the muck to free the duckling. But soon Lutz found himself stuck in the thigh-deep muck.
While he'd freed the duck easily, he couldn't free himself after a 20-minute struggle. Despite his protests his wife called 911.
Using 10-inch-wide planks, police and ambulance personnel formed a frame around Lutz, attached a belt to him and pulled him out.
Back on terra firma, Lutz said he had to act quickly or the duckling would have drowned.
``I just did what I thought had to be done,'' he said.
