NORTHAMPTON – A baby raccoon is on the mend after being rescued from a city storm drain Tuesday morning.
A concerned citizen called Northampton Police just after 7 a.m. to report splashing sound coming from a storm drain on Vernon Street.
When Animal Control Officer Shayla Howe arrived on scene, police said she found a raccoon trying to swim and keep afloat.
Howe’s first attempt using an animal snare proved unsuccessful so she called in the city’s Department of Public Works for assistance, Capt. John Cartledge said.
A DPW crew arrived and removed the storm drain and placed a wooden board into the drain for the raccoon to climb out.
The raccoon is being being checked at Berkshire Wildlife Services and is doing well, according to a post on the police department’s Facebook page.
“We want to thank the pedestrian who was walking by and for the quick response from our city employees, so that this guy could be rescued so quickly,” the post read.
About an hour after the call at 8:06 a.m., Howe responded to a report of a painted turtle in the road causing traffic issues on Mount Tom Road near Atwood Drive.
The turtle was moved out of the roadway.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.