LA PLATA COUNTY, Colo. — A Durango man made an interesting discovery under the hood of his 2007 Toyota Tacoma on Thursday evening: two stowaway marmots.
Cole Wilson was hiking in the La Plata Canyon area on Thursday morning. Seven hours later, after his hike, he began his journey home and noticed the check engine light had come on.
Wilson drove to his friend's house with whom he had dinner plans in town. The drive from the trailhead to his friend's house was about 40 minutes long.
While there, Wilson checked under the hood of his truck to discover the two rodent runaways.
"I was texting with a friend, and she asked if I had adopted them," Wilson said.
He replied that he had named the marmots Barry and Sheela.
"I think the two of them were a couple," he said.
The two critters made themselves at home, even chewed on a wire near the brake fluid reservoir. The two furry hitchhikers did not want to get out, Wilson said.
Wilson and his friend called animal control and were eventually transferred to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. He said he was told that the marmots were attracted to the heat of the engine and would leave once the engine cooled down.
Eventually, as the engine cooled, one of the marmots got out of the engine compartment and ran away, unharmed. The second one appeared to leave, but Wilson said he spotted it again in the engine compartment on Friday morning.
Wilson planned to get an estimate on the damage done to his truck Friday afternoon. He said he found his situation both funny and frustrating.
"Right now it is more hilarious than anything," he said, adding it will also depend on what the mechanic says about the damage.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Animals and Wildlife
MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS
Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER for top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP
iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n
HOW TO ADD THE 9NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9NEWS" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.