January 11, 2022 8.39 am This story is over 26 months old

Squirrel fighting for life after dramatic drain rescue

The squirrel was taken into intensive care
The squirrel got his head stuck through a drain cover. | Photo: Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue

A squirrel has been rescued by a wildlife group after it became trapped in a drain cover in Grimsby.

Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue received a call on its emergency number at 4.30pm on Monday, January 10. On arrival to Pelham Road in Grimsby, attempts were made to remove the squirrel safely, but it quickly became apparent that it wasn’t coming out on its own.

It is rare that the rescue team phone for additional services on a rescue, but it was necessary on this occasion. In over thousands of calls this is only the second time emergency services had been required as Humberside Fire & Rescue arrived to support the situation and helped to get the squirrel out.

Humberside Fire & Rescue assisted with saving the squirrel. | Photo: Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue

The squirrel was released by fire service personnel using a Halligan tool before being left in the care of Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue. A person who called the rescue team and waited for their arrival has also been praised for their assistance with the incident.

Aaron Goss, who is one of the volunteers at Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue, told The Lincolnite: “The squirrel is in critical condition, but is receiving the best chance of survival.

“We don’t know how long it had been stuck in the drain cover, but there is potential it could’ve been there a while, so it will have been a very traumatic experience. We’re doing our best to limit stresses, but at the moment it’s mostly down to his determination not to give up.

“We’d like to reinforce our notice that the public should NOT call 999 for wildlife, speak to your local rescues or the RSPCA as the fire service can only deploy to assist certain organisations and wildlife rescues.

“It’s also important to remember that Humberside Fire and Rescue have very important jobs in our community and can be diverted to a much more serious incident if needed so please speak to your rescue to prevent the delay of help.”

The squirrel needed help getting out of the drain. | Photo: Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue

As a volunteer rescue service, Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue does not get any funding aside from donations via fundraising to save wildlife and keep up with regular food and vet bills – make a donation to the volunteer team here.