Raccoon extracted from engine compartment of car in Florida

Sept. 26 (UPI) -- A raccoon fled from animal rescuers in Florida and needed help from police to escape its hiding place -- the engine compartment of a car.

The Clearwater Police Department said in a Facebook post that the SPCA received a call about a possibly injured raccoon in the Druid Road area and the animal fled when rescuers arrived to collect it.

The raccoon ended up seeking shelter in the engine compartment of Hyundai Elantra parked nearby.

A police officer was called to the scene and used a dog catching pole to fish the raccoon out from under the hood of the car.

"It took about 15 minutes to pluck the animal from its precarious perch," the post said. "It was taken for medical treatment by the fine folks at the SPCA."