NEWTON - Instead of the usual idyllic suburban scenes, a cyclist in Newton came across a raccoon. But instead of looking like the star of Guardians of the Galaxy, this raccoon found itself in a predicament: it was trapped in the grate of a sewer. A call to the non-emergency line in Newton led to an eight person and two hour rescue that ultimately freed the small victim.

Eric Fricke, the captain of the department, told the Washington Post that his team of firefighters usually uses a method involving soap and water to free people or animals who are stuck in tight places, but the raccoon was struggling too much to make it work. It took several hours, an ambulance, Waltham Animal Control, a veterinarian, and eventually sedating the animal before she could be freed. The Washington Post also reported that there have been instances of raccoons getting stuck in objects in Massachusetts before, including one such instance in Northampton back in 2016.

The department kept the raccoon for 24 hours of observation before releasing her back into the wild. Waltham Animal Control reports she seemed healthy, happy to return to her home, and grateful (get it?) for the help.