US firefighters have rescued an ‘embarrassed’ racoon that hid its face every time it was picked up after being caught raiding a woman’s fridge.

The amusing snap was taken in a resident’s home in the city of Dalton in the US state of Georgia on 12th July.

The City of Dalton Fire Department said: “You never know what the day is going to hold when you show up for your shift as a firefighter. Sure, there may be the occasional cat needing to be rescued from a tree, but a raccoon? That’s a new one!”

The snap was taken after firefighters rescued the curious chap from a woman’s home.

The resident called the fire brigade on Monday night to report hearing strange noises coming from behind her fridge.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they shone a light behind the fridge and saw two shiny eyes staring back at them.

With the intruder cornered, it did not take firefighters long to capture the furry fellow.

Amusingly, while firefighters were securing the animal, the woman noticed that it covered its little face every time it was picked up.

Before the fire brigade released the raccoon back into the wild, she took a snap of it appearing ‘embarrassed’ at having been caught.

The City of Dalton Fire Department quipped: “As you can tell, he was pretty embarrassed about it, but it’s really nothing to be ashamed of.”

They added: “We all need a helping hand every now and then.”

Firefighters hope the raccoon will be “less adventurous” in its next pursuit of a snack.