A squad of firefighters rescued a plump squirrel that weaseled its way into a dumpster in upstate New York on Christmas Eve.
The intrepid firefighters with the Binghamton Fire Department rolled out of the station on Christmas Eve to free the puffy-cheeked rodent, when it got its head stuck in a drain hole on the side of a dumpster.
The rodent — which was gifted by rescuers with the festive name Holly — didn’t put up a fight as the firefighters used “patience, care, and a very gentle touch” to wedge it free, the department wrote on Facebook.
“No matter the size of the call, we’re always ready to help. Another successful rescue, and one very relieved squirrel back to business as usual!” the department wrote.
The squirrel was nearly frozen stiff, so the firefighters relinquished it to the All Creatures Great and Small Wildlife Rehabilitation. There, the rodent, was treated to a Christmas Eve smorgasbord complete with heaps of peanuts, water and Gatorade, according to the post.
On Christmas morning, Holly was bandaged up and released into the wild. The rehab workers praised the firefighters for treating their holiday guest with the utmost care.
One famous squirrel from Holly’s neck of the woods wasn’t as fortunate.
P’Nut the Squirrel, a viral pet sensation, was killed in October 2024 during a raid at his rescuer’s animal sanctuary, P’Nut’s Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary Inc. P’Nut’s raccoon pal, Fred, was also savagely decapitated during the raid.
Agents with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation descended onto the Pine City home and seized the sanctuary’s lovable mascots. Initial reports claimed that P’Nut bit an agent’s thumb shortly before being euthanized, though its owners later claimed in a lawsuit that it was decapitated.
The agency retained and froze the animals’ headless corpses at the state Department of Health’s Avon offices.
The flagrant disregard for both creatures’ lives sparked an uproar online as many criticized the agency for the overt government overreach.
In April, Republican lawmakers in the New York State Senate introduced “Peanut’s Law: The Humane Animal Protection Act” — which would require the Department of Environmental Conservation to wait 72 hours before euthanizing any seized animals.
The bill, though, hasn’t budged since it was first proposed, according to the bill tracker.
