Penn. Officials Rescue Groundhog Stuck in Claw Machine at Mini Golf Course: 'An Unusual Prize'

Employees at Meadows Family Fun Mini Golf spotted the animal scurrying around the stuffed animals

A Pennsylvania miniature golf course claw machine got an unexpected upgrade: live prizes!

Employees at the Meadows Family Fun Mini Golf in Duncansville, Penn., discovered a live groundhog in one of the facility's claw machines on Aug. 6.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission — South Central Region received a call about "the unusual prize," which "startled" the workers of the mini golf course, according to a Facebook post from the agency.

"Who doesn't love the claw machine game? They have the best prizes! From a cute stuffed animal to a football, or maybe rubber duckies, or a groundhog… wait, a WHAT?" the game commission opened its post.

Related: Cat with Different-Sized Eyes Wants a Home That Loves Her Look: 'That's That Me Espresso!'

It is unclear how the wild animal entered the claw machine, but it could not exit until State Game Warden Salvadore Zaffuto assisted the critter.

"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 game commission added.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The social media went on to detail the rescue, sharing that a vending machine company had to be called to open up the claw machine. Once Zaffuto had access to the machine, he safely captured the groundhog from among the plush toys and released the animal back into the wild.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission—South Central Region included photos of the incident in its post. In the pictures, the groundhog is nestled amongst dozens of stuffed animals, sometimes pressed against the plastic surrounding the claw machine.

The curious groundhog is not the first animal to end up in an unusual spot this month. On Aug. 2, the Greensboro Police Department received a call about a 9-foot Burmese python blocking a woman from entering her car in an office building parking lot.

The snake was removed from the area around the vehicle and taken to a foster home, where the reptile will remain for several days while the shelter waits to see if any owner will step forward to claim the python.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.