Marmot lost in S.F. finally rescued

A wayward yellow-bellied marmot that has been lost in city backyards has finally been rescued. A wayward yellow-bellied marmot that has been lost in city backyards has finally been rescued. Photo: Courtesy, Leanne Waldal Photo: Courtesy, Leanne Waldal Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Marmot lost in S.F. finally rescued 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A wayward marmot that eluded rescuers in San Francisco for more than a month will be heading back to its Sierra Nevada home after giving in to its weakness: a sweet tooth.

The yellow-bellied marmot spent late June and July scurrying through the backyards of Bernal Heights, surprising neighbors. But it turned up its nose at early attempts to catch it, even as rescuers baited humane traps with treats like bacon-fried spinach and apple pie.

The large rodent either got hungry or tired of running. When it was spotted near a shed at Alvarado Elementary School in Noe Valley on Wednesday afternoon, a city Animal Care and Control officer consulted with Rebecca Dmytryk, a wildlife paramedic, and decided to give baited traps another try.

"He used paper towels soaked in sugar water and some apple," said Dmytryk. "Within five minutes the animal was in the cage trap."

The marmot's taste for sweets probably got it into trouble in the first place. The animals typically live in regions above 6,000 feet, like Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, but are known to climb into car engines in search of sweet-smelling, glycol-based radiator fluid. If the car takes off, the marmot can end up several hours from home.

Dmytryk wasn't sure at first that the Noe Valley marmot was the Bernal Heights marmot. But after a visitor to the school said he had just driven over from near Bernal Heights, Dmytryk said, "I think we've got our marmot."

The creature was taken for rehabilitation to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley in San Jose. Dmytryk and volunteers from her nonprofit group, Wildlife Emergency Services, hope to get clearance from state officials to return the marmot to the Sierra Nevada.

"We need to get him back up there before September," she said, "so he can start prepping for hibernation season."