The marmot that turned up twice in an Airdrie family’s garage is back in the wild.
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Chris Ratzlaff previously said the animal apparently hitched a ride home from Kananaskis Country after his wife went hiking at the Ptarmigan Cirque Interpretive Trail.
The Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society posted video of the marmot’s release on Aug. 10.
“And she’s gone…..” the society wrote.
“Just like that, the hitchhiking marmot who gained media attention across the country over the past week is back home, in the wild where she belongs!”
The society also confirmed in the comments that it was the same marmot found in Ratzlaff’s Airdrie garage.
After a commenter asked Ratzlaff, “Your hitchhiker?” the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society replied, “Yup!”
The Aug. 10 Facebook post did not specify where the marmot was released.
Ratzlaff’s encounter with the animal began after his wife returned to their Cooper’s Crossing home from Kananaskis Country and closed the garage without noticing anything unusual.
Later that evening, one of their adult children went into the garage and quickly returned.
“There’s a creature in the garage,” Ratzlaff recalled.
He went inside and found the animal hiding in a corner.
“I was not anticipating something that large,” he previously told DiscoverAirdrie.
At first, Ratzlaff thought it was a porcupine. The family later identified the animal as a hoary marmot.
His wife connected its appearance to her trip earlier that day, and Ratzlaff subsequently wrote on Facebook that the marmot had hitched a ride on the family’s truck.
He opened the garage door and waited for it to leave.
Residents later reported sightings around Cooper’s Crossing.
Several days later, the marmot returned to the same garage.
The family contacted the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, which later captured the animal.
Ratzlaff said the society gave the marmot a health check and told him she was “healthy and feisty.”
As of Aug. 4, she remained in the society’s care and was expected to be returned to Kananaskis Country later that week.
Wildlife society reminds drivers to check vehicles
Alongside the Aug. 10 release video, the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society reminded people travelling in mountain areas to check their vehicles before leaving.
“Please remember, when out in the mountains, always bang on your car hood a few times ahead of leaving to make sure there aren’t any curious critters stowed away,” the society wrote.
The Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation has previously said hoary marmots can become accidental vehicle stowaways.
They may shelter in wheel wells, engine compartments or beneath trailers, according to the institute.
The institute advises people travelling in alpine areas to inspect beneath and around their vehicles, including wheel wells and engine compartments, before driving away.
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