Santa Squirrel's 'White Beard' Found to Be a Dog Bone Around Its Neck

A Boston mother found herself in the holiday spirit after spotting a squirrel with a white beard in her backyard and named it "Santa Squirrel."

But upon closer inspection, the "beard" was found to be a hollow bone stuck around the critter's neck.

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The woman called the Animal Rescue League of Boston, which set up a peanut butter trap to take Santa Squirrel in and remove the huge bone.

"The item around its neck was a round bone," Brian O'Connor, the manager of the rescue team, told InsideEdition.com. "We took it to a veterinarian in Dedham, who was able to remove the round bone from the squirrel's neck by cutting it."

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It's not yet known how the bone got around its neck in the first place, according to the Animal Rescue League's Twitter page.

The family was relieved the Animal Rescue League was able to help.

Santa Squirrel was safely released back in the wild the same week.

The woman told ABCNews.com that she was really excited to hear 'Santa Squirrel' made it out OK and they hope he visits their yard again soon.

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