Pennsylvania’s groundhog is becoming known for more than just predicting the early or late arrival of spring.
The plucky pest was named Colonel Custard after the frozen custard and mini golf parlour where he was found two weeks ago, hidden inside an arcade game along with a ton of stuffed animal prizes.
As players manipulated the mechanical claw to grab toys from the glass game case, they suddenly noticed a real, live groundhog blinking back at them.
The man, newly named The Colonel, was discovered in Hollidaysburg, home of weather-predicting groundhog Phil and about an hour’s drive from the more famous groundhog town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
The owners and staff at The Meadows Frozen Custard Shop aren’t shy about promoting their pets.
Staff and owners have made T-shirts that say “Respect the Groundhog,” ran an online naming campaign that has generated a lot of enthusiasm, and are toying with ideas for further promotions, including naming one of their frozen treat flavors after Colonel Custard.
Meadows manager Lynn Castle said no one knows how the groundhog got into the building, but it must have climbed up the game chute and into the machinery.
“They were staring at the stuffed animals inside trying to decide what to choose and then they saw the groundhog’s eyes blink and realised there was something alive inside,” Castle said.
It took the whole village’s cooperation to free the pest: the employees first contacted the owners of the crane game, but they were too cowardly to stand up to the colonel.
Police then responded and notified the Pennsylvania Game and Game Commission, who opened the claw machine and released the groundhog into a nearby field, Castle said.
“It’s a good story that had a good ending,” Castle said. “He was released. No one was bitten.”
