Squirrel dies despite attempted olive oil rescue

This is a truly heartbreaking news story.

A squirrel has died in Germany after its head was caught in manhole cover. Police freed him using olive oil, but the trauma stopped his little heart.

The Local is reporting that officers were called to the squirrel's aid on Monday when a woman found him squealing and poking out of the road.

Initially they tried to push the animal's head down through the hole but it was tightly jammed in, and this served only to upset the animal further.

So the cops in Isernhagen, Saxony-Anhalt, decided to lift the entire lid up. With the heavy metal and concrete disc now vertical, one pushed gently on the squirrel's head while the other tried to tease its bottom half out.

This didn't work so they tried rubbing olive oil around the squirrel's neck. No joy. Finally they pushed the animal's ears down and out it popped.

The squirrel was taken to a nearby garden and officers left thinking it would survive and go on to live a rich and fulfilled life and have a family. But a neighbour reported that the bushy beast died later due to the stress of the experience.

Images: DPA/ Polizei Großburgwede