A group of friends from Michigan went viral after rescuing a raccoon that was choking on a piece of cheese.
John Ptaszenski, whose son shared the rescue on TikTok and Instagram, said the incident occurred in Burton, about 60 miles northeast of Lansing, on Saturday.
The friends were sitting around a campfire early that morning when a raccoon, which they named “Rocket,” appeared.
Initially, the raccoon was cautious and nervous, but it gradually approached the group and even allowed them to pet it, Ptaszenski told USA TODAY in an email.
The raccoon wandered around, climbed onto Ptaszenski’s leg, and then left. About 20 minutes later, it returned, displaying strange behavior.
Rocket stood on its hind legs, opened its mouth, and made odd noises. Suspecting it was choking, Ptaszenski’s friend Bill started patting the raccoon’s back to help.
Ptaszenski recorded the scene while another friend guided Bill, who kept trying to assist Rocket.
Eventually, a slice of cheese emerged from Rocket’s mouth.
“He had gotten into the trash from our cookout earlier that day,” Ptaszenski explained. “After Rocket moves in the video, you can see the cheese slice he found on the ground.”
Ptaszenski expressed his relief that his friend was able to save Rocket, describing the event as happening very quickly.
“It was just an unbelievable moment,” he wrote.
