Squirrel freed of zip tie 'belt' in Michigan

May 27 (UPI) -- A Michigan woman was able to rescue a squirrel with a zip tie around its body with the help of social media and a local animal rescuer.

JoAnn Mason said she initially noticed something was unusual about the squirrel when she saw it outside the back door of her Allegan home.

"I look out my window, and there's this squirrel and it has something white around it," Mason told WWMT-TV. "I looked closer, and it's a zip tie."

Mason posted about the squirrel in the Allegan County Informed group on Facebook, where users nicknamed the animal Mr. Zippy.

The group connected Mason with Mary Humphrey, a woman who helps capture lost animals as a hobby. Humphrey set up a trap in Mason's yard that was successful in ensnaring Mr. Zippy after a few days.

Mason said she was watching through a window when the squirrel approached the trap.

"I was trying to stay calm and I kept saying, 'Come on, come on, come on,' and then he came closer and the trap went off and I was just so happy," Mason said.

Humphrey donned thick gloves and was able to grab hold of the squirrel and cut the zip tie from around its body. Mr. Zippy was immediately released back into the yard.

"Mr. Zippy has been set free of his white zip tie belt," Mason announced in the Facebook group.