Humane society releases duck family into Milwaukee River after rehabilitating injured mom

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A local family is back where it belongs after a serious scare.

We're talking about a family of ducks who were released into the Milwaukee River.

The humane society released a female mallard and her ducklings just a few days after mom was hit by a car in Glendale.

Mama duck was in bad shape for a while, it looked like she might not make it -- but the wildlife specialists knew just what to do.

"We supported her through supportive care, including fluids, appropriate medications and most importantly, we kept that family together, which helped reduce the parent's -- the mom's -- stress," said Crystal Sharlow-Schaefer.

The mama mallard recovered, and now she and her babies are back in the wild. 

In fact, they gained a family member.

An orphaned duckling was added to the family, and the humane society says mom has accepted the new addition as her own.