Austin Firefighters Receive PETA Award for Rescuing Raccoon Stuck Headfirst Inside a Tree

For Immediate Release:
November 9, 2026

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way from PETA to the Austin Fire Department following its dramatic rescue of a raccoon whose head had become wedged tightly inside a tree hollow. After a concerned resident called 911 for help, firefighters scaled a ladder and, working just inches from the raccoon’s head, carefully maneuvered a Jaws of Life-type hydraulic tool to pry the hollow wide enough to pull the raccoon free. The Austin Firefighters Association later confirmed that, while understandably exhausted after a long struggle, the raccoon was unharmed.

: PETA“Austin’s firefighters didn’t hesitate to use every tool at their disposal to save this raccoon, who was caught in a terrifying predicament and in desperate need of a helping hand,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA encourages everyone to follow the Austin Fire Department’s kind example and do whatever it takes to help an animal in distress.”

The Austin Fire Department will receive a framed certificate and delicious vegan chocolates in recognition of their kindness.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a raccoon is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.