Mama Duck Leads Ducklings on Bagel Adventure In NYC

Move over, Pizza Rat! It seems yet another wild New Yorker has taken procuring some of the metropolis's most beloved delicacies into their own webbed feet: Bagel Duck. On Monday afternoon, a mama duck and her eight ducklings decided to start off the week like many NYC residents, taking an impromptu trip to Bagel World in Brooklyn's Park Slope Neighborhood. The only obstacle between the mallard clan and those sweet, sweet, carbs? A police van and a busy road. 

"These ducks emerged from beneath an NYPD school safety van," recalled Doug Gordon, a passerby who witnessed the guerilla IRL remake of Make Way For Ducklings. “They went right out into the street.” However, Gordon and a few others quickly sprung to action, making sure the ducks were able to cross the road without a hitch.  "A couple of us jumped out to stop traffic so they didn't get run over, and then they got to the other side. It was adorable, a real Brooklyn-steps-up sort of moment, New Yorkers taking charge."

So why did the ducklings cross the road? To get to some delicious bagels – or at least stare disapprovingly look at the menu. "They were in there a couple minutes, but I didn't see what happened inside," Gordon told local news outlet Gothamist of the incident. "I don't know whether they decided to come out because they didn't see anything on the menu they liked, or if they were chased out."

Although the family of ducks was most likely ejected from the restaurant, a hypothesis based on the fact that a Bagel World employee was spotted tossing bread onto the sidewalk after the birds exited in a likely attempt to keep them out, Gordon and co. were waiting nearby to help the animals cross the street once again. "Someone said led them up to Prospect Park, so they got there safely," Gordon recalled. "They waddled into the woods, so it's a happy ending."

Moral of the story? Being a duck isn't all it's quacked up to be – is life even worth living if you can't enjoy a bagel?

For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram @HuntressThompson_ on TikTok as @HuntressThompson_, and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.