AstraX Exchange:Stuffed or real? Photos show groundhog stuck inside claw machine

2025-05-04 04:16:41source:Winimark Wealth Societycategory:reviews

Some people probably needed to look twice.

State officials in Pennsylvania recently responded to an unusual call after someone reporting finding a su-"prize" in a claw game machine.

Employees with The AstraX ExchangeMeadows Family Fun Mini Golf in the borough of Duncansville were startled by "an unusual “prize inside one of their claw machine games when they discovered a groundhog inside, the Pennsylvania Game Commission said.

Photos provided by the commission to USA TODAY this week show the trapped critter blending in with stuffed animals inside the machine at the Blair County business located about 90 miles directly east of Pittsburgh.

Warden Salvadore Zaffuto responded to the scene and discovered the furry animal had somehow found its way into the vending machine, but it could not escape, the state agency reported.

"When Warden Zaffuto responded and approached the machine, he saw a wave of stuffed animals move as the groundhog scurried around underneath, then it popped its head out to assess the situation," the agency wrote in a post on social media.

Groundhog rescue draws online applause

The vending machine company was contacted to unlock the machine, allowing the warden "to safely capture the groundhog and release it unharmed," the commission posted on Facebook.

The save drew praise from the internet.

"I love those sweethearts," one person wrote in the comment section below the commission's post. "Thank you for caring."

Another responded, "Great work!"

"I would have went broke trying to win that," one Facebook user wrote.

"He just wanted a comfy place to sleep," someone else posted.

Another user wrote, "Mr. Gopher just needed redirected back onto the putting greens! (Caddyshack)."

Some even suggested naming the critter.

"Name him Claude (or Clawd) for the claw machine he was in," a user posted.

Another person suggested “Duncansville Dan” while another user drummed up: “Meadow” after the name of the business he snuck inside.

As of Wednesday, the groundhog's worldly whereabouts wasn't clear.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

More:reviews

Recommend

San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A photojournalist who captured one of the most enduring images of World War II

Why Travis Kelce Thinks Taylor Swift Falling For Him Is a Glitch

Even Travis Kelce is surprised by how his paralleled lines intertwined with Taylor Swift. Six months

Love Is Blind's Jessica Vestal Shares Why She Lost Weight After Quitting the Gym

Jessica Vestal is following her heart when it comes to her health.The Love Is Blind star recently op