A California sheriff's deputy overcame his fear of bad odors and used his bare hands to pull a plastic cup from the head of an unlucky skunk.

The Mariposa County Sheriff's Office said Deputy Crane called for backup Wednesday night when he spotted the skunk running around with a cup stuck over its head.

Sgt. Charman responded to the scene, but remained in his car and filmed as Crane attempted to rescue the animal.

The video shows Crane attempting unsuccessfully to use a pole to remove the cup from a distance, but he eventually gave up and used his hands.

"Deputy Crane felt bad for the skunk but was obviously reluctant to approach it," the sheriff's office wrote. "Deputy Crane mustered the courage and after nearly 10 minutes of trying to use his baton to pull off the cup (as shown in the video), grabbed the cup with his bare hands and freed the skunk from its bonds!"