HAMILTON — A fat beaver that got stuck in a fence in an Ontario city has been freed by the soapy hands of a municipal employee.

The City of Hamilton says an animal services officer went to a home around 12 p.m. on Tuesday where she found a beaver — carrying excess fat from hibernation — wedged between two metal bars.

The city says Sarah Mombourquette used soap to help the beaver wiggle through the bars.

It says the beaver recovered at a shelter.

The beaver has since been transferred to Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge in Jarvis, Ont.

The rodent needs time to recover from its injuries before it is released back into the wild.