Pennsylvania arcade employees discovered an “unusual prize” in a claw machine: a stowaway groundhog hiding among stuffed animals.
Employees with the Meadows Family Fun Mini Golf in Duncansville, Pennsylvania, were “startled” when they found a groundhog hidden in one of their claw machine games, according to an Aug. 6 Facebook post from the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Salvadore Zaffuto, the state Game Warden, was called to the establishment after the animal made its way into the game machine and could not get out.
“When Warden Zaffuto responded and approached the machine, he saw a wave of stuffed animals move as the groundhog scurried around underneath, then it popped its head out to assess the situation,” the Facebook post reads. “The vending machine company was contacted to unlock the machine, allowing Warden Zaffuto to safely capture the groundhog and release it unharmed.”
The social media post included photos of the groundhog cozied up with stuffed animals and a picture of the warden using the claw machine.
“This man trained at Dave and Busters for years for this exact scenario,” one user joked in the comments of the warden’s picture.
“I would have went broke trying to win that,” another user wrote. (RELATED: FLASHBACK: It’s Been Exactly A Decade Since De Blasio Dropped, Killed Groundhog).
The Meadows Family Fun Mini Golf held a contest to name the new local icon and park mascot, ultimately deciding on Colonel Custard after the golf course’s frozen custard shop, according to a Facebook post.
Employees made a T-shirt adorned with the words “Respect the Groundhog” to announce the new mascot’s name.
The area where Colonel Custard was found is nearly 65 miles from Pennsylvania’s popular groundhog town, Punxsutawney, the home of the weather-predicting groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil.