Marmot hitched ride out of Yosemite National Park, rescued by El Dorado County firefighters
A furry hitchhiker that thumbed a ride under a car’s hood from Yosemite National Park to Pollock Pines is on its way home after El Dorado County firefighters and state wildlife officers came to the rescue.
The resourceful marmot found its way inside the engine compartment of Phoebe Stokes’ Honda hatchback during Stokes’ recent trip to the national park. The giant ground squirrel with its brown pelt, yellow belly and white face patch is not so familiar in El Dorado County — Yosemite’s alpine climes above 6,500 feet are marmots’ natural home.
So the marmot’s three-hour tour from Yosemite’s high country to the Sierra Foothills came as quite the surprise to its unwitting driver.
“I (unintentionally) brought this baby all the way back from Yosemite,” Stokes said on Facebook, responding to El Dorado Fire Protection District’s post Tuesday of their station house encounter. “Apparently they are known to hitch a ride.”
Stokes found the fire station in Pollock Pines and called on the first responders there to lend a hand. Photos posted to Facebook show the firefighters and state fish and wildlife officers working as pit crew to free their newfound guest.
Photos show a happy end to the marmot’s long day, the furry creature napping inside his carryall for his trip back home to Yosemite.
