Call her Jar Head.
A Toronto raccoon will live to dumpster-dive another day thanks to a helpful passerby who noticed the animal was in over its head with an empty glass jar.
Megan O’Connor, of Scarborough, Ont., found the animal in distress while out for a walk with her dog near a ravine last week. O’Connor says she initially thought the trapped animal was a possum, but learned upon closer inspection that it was merely a female raccoon with its face squeezed into the mouth of a large glass jar.
O’Connor reported the incident by phone to staff at the Toronto Wildlife Centre, who showed up a short time later to examine the raccoon.
“Megan watched over the frightened animal until the rescue team arrived,” the TWC said in a Facebook post from Monday.
The TWC says it brought the raccoon back to its facility to remove the jar and treat wounds to its snout and hind leg. The raccoon was also covered in grease, although apparently not enough to help it wriggle free of its glass prison.
Staff spent five days nursing the raccoon back to health before taking it back to the ravine and releasing it into the wild.
The TWC used the incident to highlight the importance of keeping garbage and recycling safely locked away from curious critters.
“Make sure to clean all recyclables before putting them outside in a tightly secured bin,” it said on Facebook.
