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9 |Thursday October 5, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER |www.insidehalton.com Raccoon stuck in jar freed byfirefighters and humane society by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff A local raccoon will hopefully be a little more careful around the garbage after having to get a peanut butter jar cut off its head Sunday evening (Oct. 1). The Oakville & Milton Humane Society (OMHS) and the Oakville Fire Department were called to a home on Vanguard Crescent at around 7 p.m., after receiving reports about the distressed animal. A resident said the raccoon had walked onto her driveway with a jar on its head and climbed a tree before she could do anything to help it. "We could see the little guy having a harder and harder time being able to breath," she said. "He was slowly asphyxiating, and it was a terrible sight to witness." OMHS Animal Control Officer Jennifer Pollock said when she arrived on the scene the raccoon was about 30 feet up the tree. She said the job of getting the little creature down fell to the firefighters. "The decision was made to actually use the hose to try and knock him off while my partner and I held a blanket underneath to catch him if he fell," said Pollock. "We hosed him and he actually started to climb back down the tree." W hen the raccoon got low enough the humane society officers were able to catch him in a net at which point the plastic jar was cut off the frightened animal' s head. "He was deemed to be fine," said Pollock. "There were no visible injuries. He was just very anxious to get away so he was happily released." Pollock noted this is not the first time she has encountered this situation, noting raccoons and skunks have a tendency of showing up with jars or cups on their heads on trash night. The humane society is recommending residents put their trash and recycling out the morning of pick-up to reduce the chances of wildlife coming into contact with it. Pollock said these incidents could have tragic outcomes if animal control officers do not get there in time to intervene. Does your financial advisor know your life goals? Marc Nutford Fin a n cia l A d viso r 2387Trafalgar Road Unit 82 Oakville, ON L6H 6K7 905-822-2023 A raccoon pictured in a tree. | Metroland file photo w w w .e d w a rd jo n e s .c o m / m a r c -n u tfo rd Member - Canadian Investor Protection Fund Edwardjones* M A K IN G S E N S E O F IN V E S T IN G $ 2 ,0 0 0 WEIGHT LOSS GRANT D o Y o u H a v e M ore th a n 20 lb s to L o s e ? - A p p ly N ow ! V a lid F o r M ost W e ig h t L o s s P r o g ra m s · No C o st or F e e to A p p ly · A p p ro v a l w ith in 48 H ours · T h o u sa n d s P a id M onthly! · Se e W ebsite for A p p lic a tio n D e a d lin e www.weightlossgrants.org Please visit www.weightlossgrants.org for full Guidelines, Terms & Conditions.