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Ducks Get Their Own Waddle-Path On The Canal

The webbed-footed inhabitants of canal trails in London, Birmingham and Manchester have been given their own waddling space to remind humans to slow down

With urban living, ducks just don't get the respect the deserve these days.

Until now. Introducing: Waddle Paths.

(Photo by Bethany Clarke/Getty Images for Canal & River Trust)
(Photo by Bethany Clarke/Getty Images for Canal & River Trust)

Yes, this is a real thing! Adorable!

When you're using the canal path as a short cut on your cycle to work, running along it to keep fit, or bowling along with your mates weighed down with summer-in-the-park BBQ supplies it's easy to forget that the canal and its surrounds are actually a whole ecosystem of life.

So the Canal & River Trust are trying to remind us of the balance of life around the waterways, and get us to respect the lives and homes of the creatures who live there.

Which is where these waddling lanes for the canals' live-in ducks come in.

(Photo by Bethany Clarke/Getty Images for Canal & River Trust)
(Photo by Bethany Clarke/Getty Images for Canal & River Trust)

They may only be temporary, and try telling a duck exactly where it's allowed to waddle and where it's not, but they're meant to help the canalside waterlive get along with humans who enjoy the ambience of the area too.

But the prinipal is to show that on the canal towpaths at least, it's time to take life slow. As, if you've ever spent a lazy day on a canal boat, is all part of the charm of these waterside lanes.

The campaign, #sharethespace encourages canal walkers, cyclists, runners and picnickers to 'drop the pace' and remember that's it's a 'special place' (hey who doesn't love a rhyme?).

And it's true, as the Trust says: "Our waterways are living history, with boats, working locks and low bridges so please give way to waterway users."

(Photo by Bethany Clarke/Getty Images for Canal & River Trust)
(Photo by Bethany Clarke/Getty Images for Canal & River Trust)

So if you're heading to the canals in Manchester, London or Birmingham this Spring and Summer, remember to take it easy, and watch out for the duckies.

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