For These Firefighters, It's Squirrel Deja Vu

Critter is freed from manhole cover in Dortmund, Germany, which has experience in this matter
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 11, 2023 12:55 PM CDT
For These Firefighters, It's Squirrel Deja Vu
Firefighters freed a squirrel that was stuck in a manhole cover in Dortmund, Germany.   (Feuerwehr Dortmund via AP)

Firefighters say they have freed an “uncooperative” squirrel that was stuck in a manhole cover in western Germany—echoing a similar incident that happened in the same city four years ago. The Dortmund fire department said it was alerted to a distressed red squirrel by a pedestrian Monday afternoon, per the AP, after she spotted its head peering out of a hole in the road. The woman covered it with a scarf to calm it down before calling for help. A crew of firefighters who arrived at the scene carefully removed the manhole cover and tried to free the rodent.

The fire department said the operation "turned out to be quite complicated as the squirrel was uncooperative.” After further attempts, the crew was able to extract the animal unharmed, and it vanished up a nearby tree. Dortmund firefighters have experience with saving stuck squirrels. In 2019, a similar squirrel rescue drew international attention. In a statement, the fire department declared that "it could not be determined if it was the same squirrel that had to be rescued from the same situation four years ago."

(More strange stuff stories.)

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