NEW PHILADELPHIA (Tusco TV) - The New Philadelphia Police Department is using social media to show the public their commitment to protect and serve applies to animals, too.

Chief Mike Goodwin posted on Facebook Wednesday afternoon about a rescue operation in a Park Drive backyard involving a skunk that ended up in a precarious situation.

“This skunk actually had a yogurt container stuck on his head. He must have been eating it and either got it out of the trash or somebody had littered but he was able to stick his head in, and probably the lip of it went over his ears and he couldn’t get this container off of his head so he was just kind of walking in circles."  

Goodwin says the rescue involved himself and three other individuals, officers Geoff DeMattio and Ted Polka and James Smiraldo from New Philadelphia Health Department. Goodwin says the four of them put their heads together and hatched a plan to free the animal.

"We came up with an idea that we would take one of our snares that we use and see if we could snare just the neck of the yogurt bottle and give it a good yank and see if we could get it over the ears of the skunk. It worked pretty well. Initially, when he yanked on the snare, the skunk came off the ground and it was freed from the container."

Goodwin says after being freed, the skunk went underneath a nearby shed. He says they’re thankful they were able to help the animal, and that no one got sprayed during the encounter.

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