DETROIT, Mich. (WSVN) — A chance encounter with a wild animal in distress has turned three Michigan friends into local heroes.
The incident, which was captured on camera and has since gone viral, involved a raccoon that wandered into a residential yard and began choking on a piece of food.
John Ptaszenski and Bill Boski recounted the initial moments when the raccoon approached them.
“Initially when it came up, it was acting skiddish it arched it’s back up, like it was ready to attack,” said Boski. “We were keeping our distance. After a little while, it grew comfortable with us. It was just kind of roaming around all over the yard.”
As the raccoon grew more at ease, it allowed the friends to pet it and even climbed up on Ptaszenski’s lefg. However, the situation took a turn when the raccoon got into the trash can and started choking on a piece of cheese.
“It delved into our trash, and it looked like he had a piece of cheese with him, he was eating it, started choking,” said Tyler Whalen, another friend who helped during the ordeal. “It did this weird thing: It reared up on his hind legs. It looked like the universal sign for choking. It was really strange. Next thing I know, Billy is over there patting him on the back.”
Boski’s quick actions, guided by his friend’s caching, saved the raccoon.
“I’m like, ‘Dude you’re doing it a little bit wrong. You might want to do it lower, an upward motion,'” recalled Ptaszenski. “As soon as he did that, it shot the right out of his mouth.”
“Without my coach over there telling me the proper way to do it, it probably wouldn’t have lived, so it’s pretty awesome,” added Boski.
The entire rescue was caught on camera and has since garnered over 17 million views on social media.
“i just happened to pull the phone out and start recording. I’m just glad I did because no one would have believed that,” Ptaszenski said.
“People online are calling me a hero, and everything else. It’s crazy,” Boski added.
As is common in South Florida, raccoons are frequently spotted in urban environments, but this particular raccoon seemed unusually friendly an well-behaved.
The friends affectionately named him Rocket, after the character from “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The trio plans to keep an eye out for Rocket and welcome him back anytime.
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