Dog found naturally mummified in tree trunk

A dog was found dead inside a tree about 20 years after he was lost. He is believed to have been reached deep down the tree while hounding a raccoon.

Experts say the dog, which was given the monicker of ‘Stuckie’, must have climbed 28 feet before getting stuck there.

Loggers chopping up the chestnut oak in Georgia, US, in 1980, discovered the body in a hollow stretch 28ft up.

Kraft Corporation donated the log to Forest World instead of sending the tree to the sawmill. It is now a main attraction at the tree museum.

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The body of Stuckie got naturally mummified in an oak tree because of several conditions that saved its body from decaying.

Experts at the museum reckon the canine’s body mummified because an upward draft through the hollow tree created a chimney effect, carrying away the scent of the dead animal, which would usually attract insects and other organisms.

The tree also provided relatively dry conditions, whilst the oak’s tannic acid, a natural substance that absorbs moisture and dries out its surroundings, helped to harden the animal skin.

The low-moisture environment stopped the microbial activity, which meant no decay and Stuckie’s body was preserved in a remarkably good condition.

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Manager of Forest World, Brandy Stevenson, said: “People always ask me, ‘How did he get in there?’

“And I always say, ‘Well, he was a hound dog. Maybe he was after a coon. And then they’ll say, ‘Poor old thing. I feel so sorry for him.'”