Raccoon rescued from light pole in Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — A raccoon was rescued after it was stuck on a light pole for several hours along a Rhode Island highway.

The raccoon could be seen perched up on a light pole on Route 146 north in Providence.

Rhode Island State Police told WJAR crews at the scene the raccoon was on the light pole since 9 a.m. Tuesday. It's not clear how it ended up there.

Environmental police arrived at the scene shortly before 6:45 p.m. once they had the means to get the animal down.

Plus, crews had to wait to rescue the animal until traffic subsided to cause less disruption.

State police temporarily closed lanes, while the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) brought a bucket truck, with the state's Department of Environmental Management (DEM) lended a hand.

"Our EPO [environmental police officer] gave a quick lesson on how to use the snare to grab the raccoon, while the RIDOT worker was up in the bucket," said DEM spokesman Michael Healey.

Healey said it was a team effort to get the animal down, adding that they were concerned about the raccoon, as well as public safety.

"Our fear, obviously, was the fact that this raccoon could fall onto the windshield of a truck or car and cause an accident on a very busy roadway," he said.

WJAR saw the raccoon jump over a jersey barrier and run off into the woods once the animal was down from the pole.

"Having been up the light pole that long without food and water and then getting dropped to the ground, it took off pretty fast, so it looked healthy," said Healey.