Someone murdered the neighborhood groundhog

Remember this guy?

I will tell you a story and it will make you sad.

Ray called me at work Wednesday afternoon and was out of breath. We played phone tag for a few minutes since my new desk (we moved workstations this week) is in a black hole and drops calls. When I finally got him on my work phone, here is the story that unfolded:

He and Holden were heading out, when Ray saw something under his car. What he saw was the little groundhog that lives in our ‘hood dying, a big metal trap crushing his head and neck. Ray begged me to call animal control to come out while he tried to pry the trap off the little guy’s head. He said his tongue was smashed out the side of his mouth and that he was scared. I implored him, please don’t get bitten and please don’t get your arm in that trap. Our baby is there with you. Don’t get rabies. Etc.

I called animal control. It rang for a long time before anyone picked up. They told me they’d try to make it out.

I got back in touch with Ray, who said he’d been able to pry the trap off the groundhog’s head, and that he’d scampered away. But that he was really hurt.

Animal control did come out later, but the groundhog was nowhere to be found.

I wanted to take a picture of the trap but Ray had already thrown it in the trash and it was under a bunch of smelly bags by the time I got home.

Ray’s theory is that the neighbor to our east — the one with tomato and cucumber plants in the yard — set a trap when he got tired of having a groundhog eat his garden’s spoils. I don’t know if that’s true or not but it seems plausible, given that the poor groundhog ended up fighting for his life in our driveway, which is mere feet from where the garden plots are.

I’m sure the little guy went off to die somewhere.

Ray told me he tried to hold him once he was free to put antibiotic ointment on his injuries, which is so sweet it breaks my heart.

I want to know who puts a large, bone-snapping metal trap out in the yard in a neighborhood that doesn’t have fences. My cat could have wandered over there. My dog. MY KID. I don’t know; it seems a shade psycho to me.

And cruel. Just really cruel.