“Shoebert”, who became a minor celebrity in a town near Boston after turning up in the local Shoe Pond and defying rescue attempts, unexpectedly showed up at the town’s cop shop.

Beverly Police Department said on Facebook that Shoebert “made his way out of the pond and travelled through the Cummings Center parking lot and came to the side door of the police station for some help”.

Animal welfare groups and the local fire department then succeeded in getting Shoebert into a special wildlife carrier and transporting him to the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.

After a period of observation and any necessary medical treatment, Shoebert will be released into the wild – albeit perhaps with a parole condition to stay out of Shoe Pond.