That was … unexpected.
Earlier this month, a young visitor at the Meadows Family Fun Center in Pennsylvania had a surprising discovery while exploring the arcade. As she approached a claw machine, she noticed something unusual among the plush animal prizes.
To her astonishment, one of the “stuffed” animals was moving.
Upon closer inspection, she found a live, fluffy groundhog nestled among the plush toys. It seemed the little critter had wandered into the arcade from outside and had settled into the cozy machine without anyone noticing.
Concerned that the groundhog might be unable to free itself from the claw machine, the staff at the fun center reached out to the Pennsylvania Game Commission for assistance.
Warden Salvadore Zaffuto quickly arrived to help. According to the commission, “When Zaffuto approached the machine, he observed a wave of stuffed animals shifting as the groundhog scurried around underneath. The groundhog then poked its head out to assess the situation.”
Fortunately, while Zaffuto might have considered trying his luck with the claw machine to rescue the groundhog, he opted for a more reliable method.
(Winning on a claw machine can be notoriously challenging, after all.)
“The vending machine company was contacted to unlock the machine, which allowed Warden Zaffuto to safely capture the groundhog and release it in a nearby area,” the game commission reported.