Austin Firefighters Freed a Raccoon Whose Head Got Stuck in a Tree

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 2, 2026 — Raccoons like tree hollows. This one misjudged the size of the hole, and the size of its own head, and Austin firefighters had to come get it out.

A worried neighbor called the Austin Fire Department after spotting the raccoon stuck headfirst in a hole in a tree, Fox News reported. Nobody knows whether it was hunting for food or shopping for a new den. Crews went up on ladders, used a Jaws of Life-type tool to work it free and then lowered it to the ground on a catch pole.

That last part worried people. In the video, the raccoon hangs limp on the way down, and plenty of viewers assumed the worst.

The Austin Firefighters Association followed up to settle it, as KXAN reported. "RACCOON RESCUE UPDATE: HE'S OKAY!" the group wrote. It said the animal may look unconscious in the clip but "was alive and unharmed."

"After what we can only imagine was a long, stressful struggle with his head stuck in the tree, our little friend was understandably tired," the update said. Firefighters handed him over to Animal Control, and he was fine.

The association thanked everyone who checked in on him. "We're glad this rescue had a happy ending," it said.