According to media reports on August 7th, marmots in Sichuan have recently caused quite a stir, leading to amusing situations.
Last month, a netizen riding a motorcycle to Moska in Sichuan to feed marmots planned to place his DJI Action 4 camera near a burrow for filming. However, a curious marmot emerged, quickly snatched the camera, and disappeared into the underground den.
Due to the depth of the burrow and a pressing need to return to work, the netizen had to seek assistance from a local elder. Fortunately, the camera was eventually recovered and returned.
This time around, marmots have struck again, making off with car keys, effectively preventing someone from driving away.
Recently, Ms. Fang and her family, while touring western Sichuan, observed others feeding marmots. They then placed snacks, a mobile phone, and car keys together to feed them. Unexpectedly, a marmot took some of the snacks along with the car keys.

Ms. Fang’s family attempted to reach the bottom of the marmot’s burrow with a stick nearly 2 meters long but were unsuccessful. Consequently, they contacted the authorities.
With the help of local villagers and the police, the keys were eventually extracted using a powerful magnet.
This unexpected “farce” consumed over three hours of everyone’s time.
In response to these incidents, staff members have issued reminders that marmots are common in the area, and warning signs are posted along the roadsides advising tourists against feeding wild animals. “Please do not feed the marmots, as they carry bacteria. If tourists are bitten, they are highly susceptible to infection,” they cautioned.

