The headline in The Local, Switzerland’s English news site, summed up Nilo’s predicament best: “Basel firefighters rescue ass stuck in manhole.”
Nilo is the 13-year-old donkey, which found itself jammed in an uncovered manhole on Nov. 1 in the Swiss town of Pratteln, according to Basel-Country cantonal police.
“Passerby Bruno Schneider noticed the agitated animal with his head and two front feet sticking out of the ground,” The Local reported.
He called police. They called firefighters. The animal’s back legs were wedged firmly about a metre underground, police said. Eventually, rescue crews hoisted the donkey out.
Police said Nilo was lucky to suffer only a few “flesh wounds” and come out of it “largely unharmed.”
Spokesman Meinrad Stoeklin told local media that Nilo remained “very cool” during the ordeal. The donkey was returned to his home at a petting zoo.
Meanwhile, police say why the manhole was left uncovered is the “subject of ongoing investigation.”
h/t The Weather Network Photos Basel-Country cantonal police
