Take for instance, the day shift on Saturday June 16, 2012. It had been somewhat steady day of calls for the officers working, including traffic stops, medical emergencies, and an ongoing domestic violence investigation.
Just after 1:30 PM a concerned United States Postal worker called the Emergency Communication Center to report a kitten was trapped in some netting on the front porch of a residence on Hundreds Road. Animal Control Officer Sue Webb was on a day off, so Wellesley Police Officer Tim Gover was sent to check out the situation.
Wellesley Police officers do not receive any special training with regards to animal complaints or calls. However, officers usually have a wealth of experience and education that they can rely on to rectify an animal complaint. Today was no different.
Officer Gover arrived on the scene, and explained the situation to the home owner, who had just returned to the residence. The home owner explained that they did not own a kitten, and there was no sign of anything amiss on the front porch. Officer Gover decided to look a little further into the wooded area near the house just to be sure.
After poking around, Officer Gover found a chipmunk hiding in some undergrowth. The chipmunk was struggling to crawl through the bushes, however it’s rear legs were tangled in some mesh wire netting. The netting was tightly wound through both legs and the rear end of the chipmunk. The mesh wire was also firmly entangled into the underbrush, preventing the chipmunk from moving any further. Things did not look good.
Undaunted, Officer Gover decided to try and cut away each small strand of the mesh wire. This task was difficult enough, but the chipmunk was not exactly thrilled about having people so close to him, and continued to try and escape.
With patience, determination, and skill, Officer Gover managed to slice away each constricting band of mesh wire, carefully avoiding cutting the chipmunk.
Within five minutes all of the wire had been cut away, and as the last strand fell away, the chipmunk was on the move, apparently unharmed. He quickly made his way back under the front porch to the house, where he made his home.
The homeowner disposed of the netting, and Officer Gover went back on patrol, ready for whatever else came his way.
(wellesleypolice.com - June 16, 2012)
