Hippos give trapped duckling a helping snout at Netherlands zoo

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, June 9 (UPI) -- A duckling trapped on the embankment of a pond at a Netherlands Zoo escaped with a little help from its friends -- a pair of hippopotamuses.

A visitor to the Rotterdam Zoo -- locally known as the Diergaarde Blijdorp -- filmed the small duck repeatedly attempting to jump from the embankment to the shore, but falling short of making it over a short barrier.

The footage, posted to YouTube, shows the duckling is soon joined by a pair of hippos, which appear to startle the bird as it attempts to avoid the much larger animals.

However, rather than make a meal out of the duckling, the hippos use their snouts to the give the baby duck a boost and help it to reach the shore and reunite with its mother.