Raccoon rescued after spending several days on top of pole

A raccoon has been rescued from the top of a utility pole in Berlin, Massachusetts, after being stuck up there for days. Karen Blakeney said she first noticed the injured raccoon on top of the pole last Thursday morning.



"People in town have been calling National Grid, the police, it's been going crazy," said Blakeney. Residents were concerned for the raccoon because of the high-voltage wires. They also scattered hay around the bottom of the pole in case the raccoon fell.





National Grid eventually shut off the power before coordinating the rescue effort. Crew from the Animal Rescue League of Boston finally got the raccoon down and into a net before he slipped out and ran. A few hundred feet away, he was scooped up and put in a cage to be checked out.



"The rescue went about as smooth as we'd hoped for, in a high traffic street," said Danielle Genter of the Animal Rescue League. The Animal Rescue League said the raccoon does appear to be injured and dehydrated. He was taken to a wildlife rehabilitation.

With news video.