Park visitor captures bizarre video that looks like something out of 'Thriller': 'Is it trapped?'

Some Central Park visitors may have thought they were living out "Thriller" in real life as they saw a hand come out of the ground. However, the bizarre video from What Is New York (@whatisnewyork) on Instagram showed a trapped wild animal — not the dawn of a zombie apocalypse.

In the video, a small hand can be seen sticking out from a hole in the turf as it paws around. And while the five fingers may appear human-like, the hand belonged to a raccoon.

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How did it get there? It may have been seeking shelter. Raccoons often build dens in cavity spaces inside trees. If there aren't enough trees, they often make do inside walls, trash bins, or under car hoods.

Thanks to their keen sense of smell, raccoons can sniff out other critters like insects, earthworms, or grubs in the soil and attempt to dig them up. Maybe it found dinner under that turf and found it harder to get out than get in.

However, one commenter asked, "Poor sweetie is trapped! Can we replace that astroturf with real grass?" Adding real grass, especially in a park, is an easy solution to preventing an animal from getting trapped under turf.

"Is it trapped or just trying to figure out what the [expletive] astroturf is?" another person joked.

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Raccoons thrive in Central Park because of all the trees and discarded human food. However, it's best for people not to directly feed them and be careful with food waste, as it can affect raccoon behavior and health. People also shouldn't get too close, as raccoons can carry rabies and may bite when threatened or protecting their young. Therefore, the people in the video did the right thing by not trying to touch it.

Curious animals can easily get in trouble, but it's best to call trained animal professionals or other authorities who know how to handle the situation.

In a recent similar situation, a poor female fox cub's head was stuck in a wheel in Wolverhampton, England, but the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and West Midlands Fire Service saved her. And police in Livonia, Michigan, helped a deer entangled in a hammock rope.

Luckily, the poor raccoon wasn't left stuck there. The Central Park NYC team explained, "Our team peeled back the turf, and this raccoon safely made its way out and back home to the North Woods."