Even an animal as quick and agile as a mongoose can sometimes find themself in a tight spot after taking a single misstep.

That’s what happened to this poor fellow, who was attempting to climb between the brick wall of a house and a thick iron support beam. He thrashed his little body about to try to escape but to no avail: He was wedged in tight.

A villager heard his panicked cries and called Animal Rahat. After rushing to the scene, the team gave the little mongoose a mild sedative to help relax his clenched muscles. Then, rescuers summoned all their might to create just enough space between the beam and the wall so that someone could shimmy in and free the animal.

The rescuer slowly and gently released the mongoose’s legs—one at a time—until he was finally freed!

Thankfully, the animal’s ordeal left him physically unharmed, so as soon as the sedative had worn off, the team released him to rejoin his family in a nearby field.