Illinois: Chubby Raccoon Rescued By Police and Animal Control After Getting Wedged In Sewer Grate Opening

ILLINOIS -- Illinois police officers responded to aW very unique call Friday (Nov. 3) morning.

A raccoon, who Zion police believe “has been eating a little too well,” got caught in a sewer grate.

 

Animal Control officer R. Knorr and Zion Police Officer K. Vaugh were unable to remove him and had to request help “from the real heroes over at the Zion Public Works Department.” They were able to free the raccoon and he was not injured.

Zion police posted photos of the rescue to their Facebook page, adding that Officer Vaughn was more scared of the raccoon that it was of him. Good work guys!

(5NewsOnline - Nov 4, 2017)

Canada: Raccoon is rescued after getting its head stuck in sewer grate

CANADA -- A raccoon was found with its head lodged in a sewer grate in Canada.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Welland, Ontario, was contacted by a girl who spotted the raccoon's head poking out of the grate.

   

 

The furry creature was caught on camera by SPCA officials wiggling its tiny legs out of the square hole.  

When SPCA officials arrived at the scene, they found the adult animal distressed and struggling to escape.

The rescue footage shows SPCA officials attempting to free the unfortunate mammal by removing the grate with various tools, including a sledgehammer, Jaws of Life and crowbars.

 

 

'Finally, it was just through sheer force we were able to push his head back the other way,' John Greer with the Welland SPCA told InsideEdition.

The furry critter was taken to an animal hospital and released in a grassy field with no serious injuries.

Raccoons travel through sewer system tunnels, but it's unclear how the black-and-white creature got stuck.

'If nobody noticed him, he would have died of starvation,' said Greer. 'Sometimes they fight so much he could have turned a certain way and suffocated himself.'

(Daily Mail - April 3, 2017)

Massachusetts: Raccoon gets head stuck in sewer grate, freed with soap

MASSACHUSETTS -- It was all in a day's work for the Framingham Department of Public Works, which recently helped rescue a rascally raccoon from a storm drain on Wyndstone Way.

Stormwater supervisor Brooks McCarty told the MetroWest Daily News he and Animal Control Officer Kathy MacKenzie used dish soap to successfully get the critter unstuck from the cover.

"We soaped his head up and pulled and pulled and twisted," McCarty said. "All of a sudden he just popped out and she let him go and he stood there confused and then just ran up into a tree."

McCarty said crews often rescue ducklings they come upon in drains, and the animal control officer gave him a butterfly net as a tool to use in the future.

(WCVB - Nov 25, 2014)