April 29 (UPI) -- Passengers on a Boston commuter train came to the rescue of a baby squirrel that wandered on board right before it departed a station.

Riders in a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Red Line car Monday morning said the baby squirrel dashed through the doors at the Ashmont station, causing some passengers to briefly panic.


"They weren't sure if it would attack them," passenger Rosanne Foley told Boston.com. "I explained it was only a baby squirrel to help calm things down."

Foley tweeted a photo of the squirrel being held by another passenger who used a cloth bag to gently lift the rodent.

"We were thinking best to release above ground where it could see trees rather than underground in Shawmut," Foley said.

The squirrel was released at the Fields Corner stop, two stations from where it boarded.

MBTA spokeswoman Lisa Battiston praised the passengers for caring, but cautioned against interacting with wild animals.

"We appreciate the compassion of MBTA riders aboard the Red Line this morning, though we also encourage customers to be extremely cautious if they come into contact with an animal on the T," she said. "It is not advised to interact with stray animals [however adorable they may appear]."