Groundhog rescued after hitch-hiking through Greater Portland

METRO NEWS – PORTLAND – The unexpected hitchhiker was rescued after catching ride through Greater Portland after two people spotted the groundhog lying in Portland driveway and attempted a rescue.

The Saco River Wildlife Center said on Facebook that two people had pulled over to help a groundhog they spotted lying in a driveway near the Portland VA Clinic on Commercial Street.

Wearing thick gloves and towel in hand, they tried to contain the critter before it scampered away from the busy road in a “nerve-wracking chase.” 

This is when the groundhog decided to make its daring escape—by going for the “first finder’s engine” and hanging on for a wild ride until arriving at the person’s home in South Portland, the wildlife center said. 

Two volunteers quickly jumped into action, and with the help of Animal Control Officer for South Portland and Cape Elizabeth Maggie Maxwell and neighbors with a car jack, the groundhog “begrudgingly wiggled his way out” and called it a day. 

The wildlife center told NEWS CENTER Maine the groundhog looks a little disheveled, thin, and could possibly have mange or ringworm, but the cranky critter will be treated while in their care. A veterinarian will be conducting a full exam Sunday to evaluate its health. 

In the meantime, the groundhog is already eating and resting, and is, understandably, “a bit grumpy,” the wildlife center’s founder Bethany Brown said. 

Brown also said the Saco River Wildlife Center has been inundated with calls on injured animals and lots of babies, which she said was very early for the season. The center thinks the unseasonably mild winter played a part in the early baby boom. 

If you happen to come across a sick, injured, or orphaned animal, the wildlife center says to immediately call wildlife rehabbers for assistance. If the animal is orphaned and small, Brown said it can be OK to try and contain the animal by wearing gloves and wrapping it in warm towels to try and contain it. However, handling injured adult animals and providing food and water is not recommended. 

Rest assured folks, the Groundhog in question was not Punxsutawney Phil. Although ‘PETA wish to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a coin”, we understand he is safe and well following his 2024 Spring / Shadow duties.