“We get a lot of strange calls. Today, we had one …”
This week, officers from the Cohasset Police Department in Maryland were alerted to an animal in an unexpectedly tricky situation.
As it happens, a local squirrel—typically an expert navigator of the treetops—found himself outwitted by his own natural habitat.
“We receive our fair share of unusual calls,” the police department shared in a post. “But today, we got one from Brewster Road about a squirrel with his head wedged in a tree.”
Despite being in a tight spot, the squirrel hadn’t lost his spirited nature. However, despite his efforts, every attempt to break free had been fruitless.
Noticing that the squirrel appeared otherwise healthy, the officers couldn’t help but find humor in the peculiar predicament.
“This squirrel was stuck. Really stuck!” the police department shared.
Laughter aside, the cops had come with one duty in mind — to help the poor squirrel out of that jam.
Their solution?
“Apply some of the hand sanitizer we had on hand,” the police department explained. “After a few minutes of careful twisting, turning, and maneuvering, Officer [Josh] Kimball successfully set him free.”
And it worked!
Though the squirrel was now free, he didn’t come out of the ordeal completely unharmed. A small abrasion on his head was likely the result of his frantic efforts to escape.
However, it was the squirrel’s pride that might have taken the bigger hit.
If the newly freed critter was appreciative of the officers’ help, he had an unusual way of showing it. “Just before darting off into the woods, and as a token of his ‘gratitude,’ Mr. Squirrel gave Officer Kimball a parting nip on the index finger through his gloves,” the police department noted. “No skin was broken, but we couldn’t help but laugh—and capture a photo of Officer Kimball wincing in pain.”
Just another day on the job.