Remarkable critter appears in Reserve
Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 6, 2001
Amy Szpara
RESERVE – Employees at ADM Growmark in Reserve had an unexpected visitor Thursday morning in the form of a groundhog. However, at last report, a local veterinarian said shes not doing too well.
In a part of the country where nutria, muskrat and plenty of alligator abound, most people in the River Parishes have seen many wild animals here and there. Its safe to say, however, that most have not seen any groundhogs, that is, until Thursday. The surprised workers found the pudgy ball of fur near the grain elevator.
The animal, also known as a whistle-pig or a woodchuck, is not native to the area. Groundhogs weigh between four and 14 pounds, and the one found Thursday was on the heavier side of the scale.
Usually found from the eastern and central United States northward across Canada and into Alaska, they live in open fields and are vegetarians. Though they are mainly terrestrial, they are also good swimmers, but probably not good enough to make it all the way to Reserve. The one found here is thought to have come in on a barge, since it was found close to a vessel loading area.
According to Lt. Wayne Norwood of the St. John Sheriffs Office, who is also a trained animal rehabilitator, he was called in to capture the groundhog. After picking it up, he brought it to Dr. Philip H. Thiac of LaPlace Veterinary Hospital, where the animal was examined.
Lisa Moore, one of Thiacs assistants, said, “I thought it was a nutria until it turned around and I saw its bushy tail.” She had seen groundhogs before in Tennessee, but the one found in Reserve was twice the size of any she had ever seen. “Wherever it was, it was eating good.”
She fed and kept the groundhog, which was already in a carrying kennel provided by Norwood, in an examining room for the night. The doctor, who was out for the day, examined it Friday morning.
After examining the animal, Thiac learned that it was female and not in very good health. “Its not doing too well,” Thiac said. “It either has a neurological or inner ear problem. Its been rolling. It has an equilibrium disturbance.”
Thiac said that groundhogs are usually aggressive animals, so he is limited to the type of exams he can perform without putting the animal under anesthesia. “Rabies has to be considered. Though it is not common in rodents, it is not impossible, which is one reason people should never attempt to capture wild animals. We have to be extremely cautious.”
The next step that Thiac plans to take is to consult wildlife health experts to determine if the animal is treatable. “Its symptoms are extreme,” he said. “Its very sick.”
Thiac will hold the groundhog for observation, but he said it doesnt look good for the animal. “In the meantime, well keep it safe,” said Thaic, who also said it was rare for the animal to be out of hibernation. He believes that its illness may have kept it from hibernating.
Norwood, who had planned to take the animal to live on his ranch, will not know if that will be possible until a thorough examination is performed.
“If we can save it, we will save it,” said Thiac.
