It took 9 volunteer firefighters to free the rat from the grate in Germany Fat Rat Gets Its Rotund Body Stuck in Sewer Grate Prompting Large Rescue Operation A fat rat nearly lost its life after getting stuck in a sewer grate in Bensheim, Germany. On Sunday, animal rescue operation Berufstierrettung Rhein Neckar responded to the scene to find a rat squealing helplessly as it attempted to free itself from the manhole. Get push notifications with news, features and more. After not being able to free the chubby rodent, the rescue team called on the help of volunteer firefighters to get the job done — and it was all caught on camera. “She had a lot of winter flab and was stuck fast at her hip — there was no going forward or back,” animal rescuer Michael Sehr told local media, BBC News reported. In the clip shared on YouTube by Berufstierrettung Rhein Neckar, the firefighters can be seen lifting the manhole, with the rat still stuck in it, wiggling its feet and tail rigorously. After the grate was removed, one emergency responder used his bare hands to push the bottom half of the rat through the hole. Once the mission was complete, the rat scurried back into the sewer. When asked why so much manpower went into saving one rodent, Sehr told local outlets “Even animals that are hated by many deserve respect,” BBC News reported. The story has since captivated a number of social media users, prompting them to share their thoughts on Twitter. “The fat rat stuck in the manhole is making me emotional? ?” journalist Chris Gayomali wrote on Twitter. “Fat Rat is actually my current mood #chunky,” reporter Lina de Florias tweeted. “We stan fat rat!” a different social media user tweeted.<doc-sep>A multi-agency rescue operation has taken place in the town of Bensheim in Germany after a tubby rat became stuck in a manhole cover. The rat, still plump with winterspeck – which translates literally as winter bacon and refers to extra pounds piled on in the colder months – became stuck after it tried to squeeze through a small gap in the sewer cover. The Auerbach volunteer fire brigade was called in, as was the Rhein Neckar animal rescue team, and together a team of about eight rescuers was able to raise the cover and pull the rat free. It took about eight firefighters and an animal expert to help the rat to freedom. Photograph: Berufstierrettung Rhein Neckar/ Freiwillige Feuerwehr Auerbach “The rat had quite a lot of winter fat and got stuck on its hips — nothing was going forward and nothing back,” animal rescuer Michael Sehr told news agency DPA. Photos of the rat showed its head and rotund torso poking out of the hole, with its bottom half obscured by the sewer cover. In one image it seemed to almost be calling for hilfe. The fire brigade said the rat escaped unhurt. “The animal was subsequently released again into the wild. The fire department’s operation was completed after a good 25 minutes,” said the Auerbach fire department. After the successful rescue, two young girls presented the animal rescue team with a gift to say thank you – a drawing of a rat surrounded by love hearts, with the word “danke!” written on it. Sehr told DPA he did not have any qualms about rescuing the rat. “Even animals that are hated by many people deserve respect,” he said.<doc-sep>For Mr Sehr, however, there was no charge for the finder of this animal in distress - but he did receive a hand-drawn picture of the rat, surrounded by hearts, from the little girl who first found the distressed and squeaking creature.<doc-sep>
A rat packing on a little extra winter weight got stuck in a sewer grate in Germany on Sunday afternoon, prompting an impressive rescue effort. Nine emergency responders, including firefighters and animal rescue, arrived at the scene in the town of Bensheim in southwestern Germany to give the rotund rat a hand. Two young girls apparently made the discovery and looked on as the rescue team struggled to free the animal. RAT LYING NEXT TO EMPTY HENNESSY BOTTLE GOES VIRAL: 'MIGHT NEED MOUSE TO MOUSE RESUSCITATION' KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN AIMS TO DIGITALLY ERASE RAT FROM 'THE DEPARTED' ENDING "She had a lot of winter flab and was stuck fast at her hip - there was no going forward or back," said Michael Sehr, a professional animal rescuer from Rhein Necker, according to BBC. As the situation looked more and more hopeless, rescuers eventually were able to prop up the manhole and secure a safety loop around the rat, and popped her out of the narrow opening. Video and photos showed the entire scene unfolding, leading up to the rat's eventual return to her home in the sewer. To top off the story's happy ending, the two young girls who discovered the rat reportedly drew a picture for the rescuers, which showed the rat surrounded by hearts. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Some commenters were quick to question why such an enormous effort was exerted to save a sewer rat, but Sehr had an easy response to critics. "Even animals that are hated by many deserve respect," he said.