Stranded raccoon rescued from highway light pole

June 15 (UPI) -- A raccoon spent several hours stranded atop a light pole on a busy Rhode Island highway after being rescued by personnel from multiple agencies.

Rhode Island State Police said the raccoon was first spotted atop the light pole on Route 146, near the Mineral Spring Avenue exit in Providence, about 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Mike Healey, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, said a Rhode Island Department of Environmental Protection responded to the scene and ended up summoning assistance from the state Department of Transportation.

"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," Healey told WJAR-TV.

Healey said the environmental police officer taught a RIDOT worker how to use a snare device, and that worker then ascended in a bucket truck to rescue the animal.

The raccoon was brought back down to the ground shortly after 6:45 p.m. The animal was last seen heading toward a nearby wooded area.

"It took off pretty fast so it looked healthy," Healey said.