Groundhog Fatally Shot By Deputy For Blocking Traffic, Video Shows

A sheriff’s deputy in Maryland who fatally shot a groundhog that was holding up traffic Sunday has come under fire after video of the incident went viral.

Carroll County police responded to a call that a small groundhog had been scurrying back and forth across the road, which brought traffic to a standstill.

A 1-minute and 55-second video captured by a stopped motorist shows the police officer's efforts to get the rodent off the road. The groundhog continued to move forward into the street, as vehicles were at a standstill. The police officer then shot the groundhog twice.

The name of the deputy has not been reported.

Footage of the incident circulated Facebook and garnered nearly 100,000 views as of Wednesday. Many on the social media site expressed concern.

"This just happened. And I’m so distraught! Like I cannot believe I just witnessed this," Justyna Olkowska, who recorded the incident, wrote on Facebook. "If you’re not an animal lover, you won’t understand my pain. Please share. I may be wrong and he might have been doing his job but all I kept thinking was what if my little niece and nephew were in the car with me seeing this."

The Carroll County Sheriff's Office issued a statement regarding the officer's decision.

"He realized that it was not responding as expected for an animal that was not being cornered or trapped. Believing the groundhog to be either sick or injured, the deputy then put the animal down for the public’s safety," the department told WBAL, an NBC affiliate in Baltimore.

Department spokesman Cpl. Jon Light said that it was unclear whether the groundhog had rabies, adding that the sheriff’s office was looking over the incident.

"You see the groundhog coming after the officer. At this point in time, the animal was not acting as a normal animal would. It is within our policy to dispose of any animal that could pose a health threat," Light said.

Karen Baker, executive director of the Carroll County Humane Society, said she was surprised by how the animal acted and called its interaction with the officer "unusual." Groundhogs typically don’t confront humans unless they are sick or injured, she explained.

"Under normal circumstances, an animal will take its easiest route of escape when it's threatened or frightened," Baker told WBAL. "Normally, an animal will run from humans, especially if you're making yourself large, you're stomping your feet, you're loud."

Groundhogs, the largest members of the squirrel family, are considered docile creatures that hibernate underground in winter and reemerge during warmer temperatures. They are usually spotted on the ground but can also swim and climb trees.