ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – There is an unfamiliar sight in Carl Bost’s front yard in South City: an animal trap.
He hopes he can save a groundhog, known as Fred to some, that is currently stuck in a hole under his porch.
“I know people that would come that would stick a shotgun down in the hole,” said Bost. “That’s not what I wanted because he is a peaceful animal.”
Bost told First Alert 4 that a groundhog has been down there for a while. Normally, it wouldn’t be a big deal, as he likes wildlife. But the problem is that a contractor is set to come this weekend to fix his porch and fill the hole with concrete.
“I don’t want him to get buried alive because I think that’s crueler than trapping them,” said Bost.
So he hired a professional who would capture and release the animal into the wild.
Within an hour, Fred was in the trap. But then neighbors grew worried, and Bost’s doorbell video shows a concerned woman and another neighbor who opens the trap and lets Fred free.
“I’m frustrated because I don’t know what to do,” said Bost.
Bost, sleeping at the time, woke up to a flurry of text messages from his next-door neighbor, the woman in the white shirt.
“The groundhog is in the trap, please don’t kill Fred, if my grandaughter sees you killed Fred, she’s going to be upset,” said Bost.
So the neighbors, worried about Bost killing Fred, released him, again risking the animal being buried under concrete.
Missouri law bans people from tampering with a legally set trap, a class A misdemeanor.
Bost has spent hundreds of dollars for the trap being set twice.
“I don’t want people to get arrested, I don’t want people to be fined. I would like to be compensated for the $150 already spent,” said Bost.
Bost, using repellent pellets and even peanuts, hopes Fred leaves the hole by Saturday morning.
A possum was taking a nap in the trap when First Alert 4 arrived — even after Bost opened the door to let it go.
First Alert 4 went to the homes of the people in the video. One said they didn’t know what we were talking about, and the next-door neighbor, Donna, said it was a misunderstanding and she just wanted to ensure the animal wasn’t killed. She wishes her neighbor didn’t put out bird food to lure potential vermin.
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