ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – There is an unfamiliar sight in Carl Bost\u2019s front yard in South City: an animal trap. <\/p>\n
He hopes he can save a groundhog, known as Fred to some, that is currently stuck in a hole under his porch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know people that would come that would stick a shotgun down in the hole,\u201d said Bost. \u201cThat\u2019s not what I wanted because he is a peaceful animal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bost told First Alert 4 that a groundhog has been down there for a while. Normally, it wouldn\u2019t be a big deal, as he likes wildlife. But the problem is that a contractor is set to come this weekend to fix his porch and fill the hole with concrete.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want him to get buried alive because I think that\u2019s crueler than trapping them,\u201d said Bost.<\/p>\n
So he hired a professional who would capture and release the animal into the wild.<\/p>\n
Within an hour, Fred was in the trap. But then neighbors grew worried, and Bost\u2019s doorbell video shows a concerned woman and another neighbor who opens the trap and lets Fred free.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m frustrated because I don\u2019t know what to do,\u201d said Bost.<\/p>\n
Bost, sleeping at the time, woke up to a flurry of text messages from his next-door neighbor, the woman in the white shirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe groundhog is in the trap, please don\u2019t kill Fred, if my grandaughter sees you killed Fred, she\u2019s going to be upset,\u201d said Bost.<\/p>\n
So the neighbors, worried about Bost killing Fred, released him, again risking the animal being buried under concrete.<\/p>\n
Missouri law bans people from tampering with a legally set trap, a class A misdemeanor.<\/p>\n
Bost has spent hundreds of dollars for the trap being set twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want people to get arrested, I don\u2019t want people to be fined. I would like to be compensated for the $150 already spent,\u201d said Bost.<\/p>\n
Bost, using repellent pellets and even peanuts, hopes Fred leaves the hole by Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
A possum was taking a nap in the trap when First Alert 4 arrived \u2014 even after Bost opened the door to let it go.<\/p>\n
First Alert 4 went to the homes of the people in the video. One said they didn\u2019t know what we were talking about, and the next-door neighbor, Donna, said it was a misunderstanding and she just wanted to ensure the animal wasn\u2019t killed. She wishes her neighbor didn\u2019t put out bird food to lure potential vermin.<\/p>\n
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