Woman Reports 'Big, Gray' Animal Trapped in Her Home

A woman came home Thursday afternoon, opened her door and let a wild animal into her home.

According to the police log, she reported the incident just after 1 p.m. and a police officer and Swampscott Animal Control Officer Diane Treadwell responded shortly to find a chipmunk in the Salem Street residence.

Treadwell said the resident caught a glimpse of the animal as it ran in the door and couldn’t make out many details other than that “it was big and it was gray.”

“Everyone always thinks it’s bigger than it is,” Treadwell said, laughing.

Treadwell said she and the officer spent the next 40 minutes engaged in “chipmunk wrangling” as the “silly little thing” scurried around the home.

“He kept following the baseboards of the house,” Treadwell said, adding that they moved furniture and had nets out during the chase. Eventually, the two successfully chased the rodent out the back door.

“We try to save them all,” Treadwell said. “Big and small.”

Photo: Yu-Chan Chen via Flickr