Meet “Stuckie”—the mummified dog who has been stuck in a tree in Georgia, USA, for over 50 years. The hunting hound, a coon dog, earned his grim nickname after his remarkably preserved body was found in 1980 by a logging crew. Experts believe the dog, in pursuit of a raccoon or other small animal, scrambled into a hollow chestnut oak tree in the 1960s, climbing about 28 feet up before getting hopelessly wedged in the narrowing trunk.

The reason “Stuckie” is a scientific curiosity and not just a decomposing skeleton lies in the unique properties of his wooden tomb. The chestnut oak tree acted as a natural preservative. Its high tannin content—the same substance used to “tan” leather—effectively dehydrated the dog’s body and prevented it from rotting. Furthermore, the hollow tree’s chimney-like structure created an upward draft of air, which carried away the scent of decay.

After his discovery, the loggers, instead of sending the log to the sawmill, donated the section of the tree with “Stuckie” still inside to the Southern Forest World museum in Waycross, Georgia. Today, “Stuckie” is the museum’s most popular and macabre attraction. Visitors can peer through a protective glass casing into the hollow log, where the mummified hound is still visible, his paws reaching out in a final, heartbreaking attempt at freedom.