Groundhog on the lam in Jersey
Went wild at Bridgeton Little League, then busted out of hospital
An aggressive groundhog that was apprehended Saturday after startling spectators at a Bridgeton, NJ Little League game is once again on the loose.
The South Jersey Times newspaper, which has been chronicling the tale, reports the groundhog -- aliases include "woodchuck" and "whistlepig" -- went missing sometime over the weekend from the Wilwynn Animal Hospital in Bridgeton, where it was taken after the Little League incident.
Witnesses said the animal had bared its teeth and chased children, an umpire and even league president T. Carl Hemple-- who escaped by getting inside his car -- before being captured by authorities. No injuries were reported.
Groundhogs are related to squirrels and can weigh as much as 20 pounds. They are generally not belligerent. . And as YouTube videos and fan websites attest, the critters certainly have their admirers.
Nevertheless, groundhogs are no strangers to controversy. In 2012, they were fingered for filching flags from Civil War veterans' graves at a Hudson, NY cemetery.