Loggers were going their normal job when they found a creature mummified inside of a tree trunk. The animal died doing what it loved, chasing a raccoon. And although the animal died more than twenty years ago, it has been entirely preserved. The creature had died chasing a raccoon into a hollowed oak tree and got stuck. No one was able to find him, and his body slowly became mummified over the decades.
But now thousands of tourists are coming out to the tree to see Stuckie in all his glory. Although he died because no one could find him, now that the loggers have found him, he is a tourist attraction. Loggers were set to cut the oak tree into logs. But when they started getting to work, they found the dog mummified inside. He was stuck near the top of the tree. And because of the strange occurrence, he is now the leading attraction at Forest World. Experts say that Stuckie’s body did not decay because an updraft of air carried the scent of his dead body about from the insects that would have eaten him.
Loggers could not send Stuckie’s section of the tree to the sawmill. Although they lost some money on it, they decided to donate it to the tree museum. And after a naming contest, the museum determined that his name would be Stuckie. Everyone agrees it is a fitting name for the mummified dog. Stuckie managed to climb more than 28 feet up the tree trunk before he got stuck (SEE PHOTO). They believe he was chasing a raccoon, but it could have been another small game. Many people are still confused about how he mummified instead of rotting in the hollowed out oak tree. The museum sent out a press release to describe how it worked. Because a draft of air flew up the trunk, this chimney effect helped preserve the dog’s corpse.
Because he did not smell like a dead animal, his body did not attract the attention of the insects and usual suspects who feed on such things. The hollow tree trunk also protected him from the elements. Instead of being subjected to the humidity of the climate, he was in the comparatively dry space in the middle of the tree. This gave him more cover to help mummify his body. With little moisture inside the tree, decay did not occur. That was furthered because of the presence of tannin, which is a substance that absorbs moisture. These factors worked together to protect Stuckie’s body from the inevitable decay of the dead.
