Four ducklings have survived a “terrifying” ordeal after they were abandoned in a park.

A dog walker discovered the ducklings in a closed cardboard box in King George’s Field in Hadley Wood, Barnet, at around 5pm on March 8.

He immediately called the RSPCA, and one of the charity’s inspectors, Shahnaz Ahmad, collected them.

She said that the ducklings all seem “quite healthy and tame”, although one is smaller than the others.

Shahnaz added: “Given they were in a closed cardboard box we are investigating it as an abandonment and are looking for information about where they came from. 

“It would have been a terrifying experience for the poor ducklings, and anything could have happened to them in a busy park.

“We are very grateful that someone found them and took them home to safety until we could collect them.”

The four ducklings have now been named Duck, Duck, Duck and Goose by the RSPCA, and are at South Essex Wildlife Hospital from where they will be rehomed.

Anyone who has any information about how they ended up in King George’s Field, is asked to call the charity’s inspectorate line on 0300 123 8018, quoting incident number 01233060.