German Police Rescue Squirrel from Manhole Cover

[xchrom]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/german-police-rescue-squirrel-stuck-in-manhole-cover-a-848506.html





It all could have been so much worse, but thanks to some olive oil and a bit of clever maneuvering by German police, one spirited squirrel has lived to see another day.

After hearing frantic shrieks coming from the street on Monday, a woman in the northern German municipality of Isernhagen, near Hannover, discovered that the creature had lodged its head in the opening of a manhole cover. She called local police, who at first struggled to release it from the unexpected trap, daily Nordhannoversche Zeitung reported.

[trumad]

1. Future Motivation Poster?

[catbyte]

8. somebody should send it to depair.com the best demotivational posters

I'm glad the little guy is OK.

[Robb]

2. I read the headline thinking the German police now have a rescue squirrel.

More coffee needed, clearly!

[surrealAmerican]

3. What a cute, yet stupid creature.

Was this perhaps a young squirrel who had fit through those holes until this time?

[Panasonic]

4. Perfect timing!

I just gave a little squirrel a go-to pint of natural peanut butter, so instead of raiding my trashcan (and terrifying my wife), I'm trying to make it stay away from it by giving something to eat if it's near a trashcan.

It's an extremely dry and mild winter, so the nut ratio for storage is pretty low, so I'm sort of supplementing them, I guess.

Am I doing the right thing? There's a family of squirrels living under my patio roof.

[xchrom]

7. i don't know -- i feed the squirrels peanuts.

it's the right thing for them -- and i like to watch them.

they're fun little guys.

[RebelOne]

18. Yes, I throw stale bread out to them.

But my squirrels aren't as cute as that one. They are drab grey squirrels.

[TlalocW]

9. Prepare to become a squirrel charmer

I just hope you don't live in the south where that kind of witchcraft can get you run out of town.

Growing up, my neighbor who was of retirement age had a black walnut tree that routinely littered part of his yard. He took a large opened frozen orange juice can, cut a curve in it and attached it to a broom stick to create a scooper. There was a squirrel in the neighborhood that would ride on his shoulder while he scooped nuts into a sack. He would give it a nut every now and then while he worked, and it would munch happily on his human perch.

My mom started feeding some squirrels when she retired and moved to a different town. One or two of them became tame enough that they would come in through the back sliding glass door and sit on the carpet with her while she fed them nuts.

TlalocW

[leveymg]

5. In a sane, healthy society, that's what the police do. In an insane decaying one, they do this:

[Diclotican]

12. leveymg

leveymg

The german police _can_ be as ruthless as any other police force, if the need arise - but in principle they do not need bo beat the crap out of civilians body, just for the fun for it.. And I believe another reason, is that the german police, for the most part have a lot of respect from the german population, as officials of the State.. The respect for the authorities is deep in germany, and the police are often seen as represent for the State, and the government, and have to be respected.. Or at least, you have to respect the uniform, if you do not respect the person in the uniform...

And it can also be about the fact, that in germany you have a whole different culture around weapons, and the use of un-necessary violence against civilians from the police.. You can do far more with authority, and control, than just trow a suspect to the ground - and beat the crap out of him... And then be sued for un-necessary violence.. It is more approbate to use, just the violence necessary to get people to do as you want them to do, nothing more, noting less.

Diclotican

[leveymg]

13. You're talking about what the foreign policy wonks call "soft power."

In a still-functioning state, the police don't have to wear camouflage body armor and carry automatic weapons. A collared shirt, a tie, and a badge show real power.

That requires legitimacy and effectiveness. Those qualities are fast running out in this country.

[Diclotican]

14. leveymg

leveymg

Indeed, I guess it is what some call soft power, where you do not need to go around in battle amour, to defend yourself, against others, when on job.. Where an uniform, a colored shirt, a tie and some other effects give you the necessary power.. In germany the Police Do have weapons - but they are restricted when to use it.

And i my own country police have not even a gun as part of their uniform - and most people is rather comfortable with that, even though some say because of the hardening of the criminals, weapons should be a part of the uniform.. But for the most part people tend to have respect for the uniform at least - and police have a lot of non-violent things to do, before they have to use harder methods than talking.. I somehow believe that police officers in Norway, have a higher tolerance for violence than the opposite is in the US this days.. I have seen police officers talking calm with people who have less kind things to say to the officers.. Without them going bananas and almost rip them appart...

It all comes back to what you might call "soft power", and the ability to have support from most of the population at large. I have always had a deep respect for the police.. And I think that shows, so the police act accordingly..

And it all goes down to the legitimacy of the police and how they treat the public I guess...

Hopefully, the legitimacy of the police will rise again - and US once again be a country, where most people respect the law - and where the police do not need to go around in battle armour and caring weapons as they was in a war zone..

Diclotican

[leveymg]

15. The loss of respect for rule of law in the US has been from the top down, and has been for decades

Our government has committed huge, repeated crimes against humanity -- millions have died in our aggressive wars -- and our bankers and corporate elites have gotten away with massive multi-trillion dollar frauds for years, the Treasury is bankrupt, but nothing is ever done about that.

In such a country where there are as many guns as people, and inequality is the worst in any developed country, is it any wonder the murder rate and imprisonment rates are all the highest in the developed world? It would be shocking if the police weren't heavily armed here. What's really amazing is that there isn't more political violence - it's just that most of the population is too narcotized, distracted, terrified, or simply exhausted to much care anymore about politics.

There is little hope for positive change in America, and great dread for worse to come.

That ends today's report from Washington.

[cali]

16. really? rescuing squirrels is what police in a sane society do?

Look, I'm not fan of cops, but as long as there are pedophiles, wife beaters, murderers, arsonists, etc- and they exist in Germany too- cops have work- that's not only comprised of rescuing cute small animals. The cop in Wisconsin who saved lives yesterday and died doing it, is as worthy of respect as the pigs in Anaheim are worthy of contempt.

[snooper2]

6. If he would just spit those nuts out of his mouth

That he so desperately loves he would be able to get out

[sinkingfeeling]

10. Sweet little thing!

[Rozlee]

11. We had a huge pickle jar once

stuck on a tree to feed the squirrels. We went out one morning and were shocked to see a raccoon stuck head first in it, all the way in. His big butt wouldn't let him out. Almost the whole neighborhood came out to look and offer advice on how to get it out. Finally, animal control came by, held a net under the jar's opening and swirled some kind of lubricant around the rim of the jar with a sponge on a long stick and shook it. Mr./Ms. Raccoon popped out into the net, everyone cheered and he was hauled away and let go in the woods nearby. We took down the pickle jar.

[Flying Squirrel]

17. I knew they'd save me

Wasn't worried in the least.

[CatWoman]

19. awwwww