Austin firefighters free a raccoon stuck in a tree

For the classroom

A raccoon in Austin, Texas, got stuck inside a hollow in a tree and could not climb back out. Firefighters used the Jaws of Life, a tool they usually use to cut people out of wrecked cars, to open the wood and let the raccoon go. A hollow is a hole inside a trunk. The animal was small enough to slip in and too stuck to slip out. The crew treated the raccoon like a rescue call. One animal, one tree, and a tool borrowed from a different kind of emergency.

1. Why would a tool made for cars work on a tree?
2. What should you do if a wild animal is stuck, instead of grabbing it?
3. How is a raccoon different from a pet that can be picked up?

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