SAN JOSE, Calif- Moss Landing wild animal rescue group, WildRescue, got an unusual request this week from a neighborhood in the Silicon Valley, asking them to round up what appears to be a large rat.
In reality, the animal was a yellow-bellied marmot that had somehow hitched a ride on a car from Yosemite National Park, where it lives in high elevations.
On Tuesday, WildRescue, aided by the Department of Transportation, captured the marmot after it was spotted emerging from the storm drains since Monday morning.
Marmots are not native to this region, but live in higher elevations, above 6000 feet.
"We believe the female marmot hitched a ride in the engine compartment of a vehicle that had visited Tuolumne Meadows," said WildRescue in a news release.
WildRescue said it feels confident the animal came from Tuolumne Meadows, where she will be returned on Sunday, after she's fattened up a bit. She is understandably hungry after being on such a long and stressful journey.
It's important to return wild animals to their families and home territory, for many reasons. Not only is relocation of wildlife prohibited without authorization from the California Department of Fish & Game, but it chances the spread of disease and is not what is in the best interest of the animal.
An interesting note - marmots are apparently attracted to the sweet smell and taste of radiator fluid, or coolant, which is toxic. They are also attracted to warmth.
Also, interestingly, research has found that female marmots with lots of male siblings tend to be tomboys, wrestling and play-fighting like males and being a bit more adventuresome than other females. Perhaps this is the case with this wayward explorer.
