Firefighters rescue squirrel stuck in manhole cover

Firefighters, police and a veterinary clinic combined forces to rescue a red squirrel that had got its head stuck in a manhole cover in the western German city of Dortmund.

Dortmund’s fire department said it responded to a call about a rodent in difficulty on a street next to a park in the city centre.

When rescuers arrived, they spotted the squirrel’s head poking out of a hole in the cover.

Initial attempts to free the animal were unsuccessful, so the entire manhole cover was removed and taken to a nearby veterinary clinic, while police were called in to guard the open sewer.

Vets used anaesthetic to calm the squirrel and then freed the animal.

It was treated for superficial neck wounds and is expected to soon be released back into the wild.