Fat rat gets stuck in Manhole cover, rescue wins hearts online

How many men does it take to place a rat back in the sewer? In this particular case, it took eight.

A heartwarmingly hilarious incident occurred in Germany earlier this week when a chubby rat got stuck halfway out of a sewer manhole - leading to a rescue operation that has gone viral and won hearts online.

"She had a lot of winter flab and was stuck fast at her hip - there was no going forward or back," animal rescuer Michael Sehr told local media, according to BBC.

The multi-agency rescue operation took place in the town of Bensheim. According to the Guardian, the Auerbach volunteer fire brigade was called in, as was the Rhein Neckar animal rescue team. Together, about eight men worked to raise the manhole cover and free the rat.

Photos of the rat stuck in the manhole cover, shared on Facebook by the Rhein Neckar animal rescue, have gone viral online with thousands of 'likes' and amused comments.

"So cute, thanks for rescuing it," wrote one person in the comments section. "Thank you so much for rescuing this small animal. It brought smiles to our faces and restores faith in mankind," said another.

On Twitter too, the fat rat found many fans.

The rat escaped unhurt after the rescue. "The animal was subsequently released again into the wild. The fire department's operation was completed after a good 25 minutes," said the Auerbach fire department.