Marmot ignores etiquette rules, crashes Washington restuarant

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Anyone could tell you that a marmot belongs outdoors -- the little fellow at right (photographed at Moonlight Lake in Inyo National Forest) seems to understand that concept just fine. But a marmot in the small town of Prosser, Wash., seems to have missed the memo.

Diners at a Prosser restaurant were distressed to discover the creature -- a house cat-sized relative of the ground squirrel -- lounging in a corner Monday. They took matters into their own hands, making a tunnel of sorts out of advertising signs through which the marmot was ushered to freedom.

It seems Prosser, a southern-central Washington town with fewer than 5,000 residents, has had an ongoing issue with the rodents for quite some time. In 2006 and 2007, the city spent nearly $6,000 on marmot-trapping endeavors, the Tri-City Herald reports.

But in 2008, Prosser lacked the budget -- and the marmots flourished. ‘I know there’s a lot of marmots in Prosser, there’s no question,’ City Administrator Charlie Bush told the Herald. ‘They’re happy marmots. They’re fat, they’re having a good time.’ No wonder they’re heading to the local eating establishments.

-- Lindsay Barnett