If you are a gardener or farmer, it can sometimes feel like the local wildlife is out to get you. And it can indeed be the case.
A farmer in Middletown, Delaware, named Jeff Permar began to grow his own food in his garden, and for years all seemed to be going well. Then, however, he noticed that more and more of his fruits and veggies were missing. So, he decided to investigate what was going on and set up a security camera to catch the thief in the act.
“I noticed that my garden was damaged and that it was not a normal pest, it was something else. It had all kinds of vegetables and each one was with bites, it disappeared. They were trying a little of everything, I looked for footprints that would help me identify the thief, but he didn’t leave a trace,” Permar said.
He was surprised to find out that the culprit was a little groundhog, who even had the guts to stand in front of the security camera and leisurely consume all the fruits and vegetables he happened upon in his garden.
At first, Permar thought it was just an accident, but the second time, he already knew this eccentric groundhog wanted him to see that he was eating his crop.
“At first I was very upset. I raised the height of the fence, put logs around it to prevent digging, but nothing worked. He kept coming into my garden at least 3 times a day and he was always looking at the camera,” Permar explained.
But seeing that his efforts were futile, the farmer decided to call a truce with the little thief and make him his pet which he called “Chuck”.
Now, Chuck even has a Youtube channel where Permar posts videos of his cheeky little friend’s mischievous doings. He has also created a Facebook page for him, and now Chuck has 200K+ people following his gardenly adventures.
So, a simple prank has led Chuck to become a star. And taking it all easy has given Permar a new source of income that allows him to buy some fruits and veggies for himself and his family.
source: earthlymission.com
