The whole village dug for 4 hours to find the car keys for the tourist because they were carried away by rats.

A trip to southwest China unexpectedly turned into a strange “treasure hunt” when a marmot “stole” a tourist’s car keys, forcing the whole village to join forces to dig to find them.

The incident of a marmot taking away a tourist's car keys amused the Chinese online community - Photo: SCMP

According to the South China Morning Post , on August 3 in Genie town (Ly Duong district, Sichuan province, China), a marmot - also known as a ground squirrel - grabbed a tourist's car key and went straight down the hole.

The incident was recounted by a tourist nicknamed “Dog Brother”. He and his friends were exploring the area when the incident happened.

Ms. Phuong, a member of the group, said they approached a marmot cave where many were coming out to look for food. Her child, fascinated by the sight, took fruits and snacks from the car to feed them.

They put food, fruit, a phone and car keys in a bag nearby, while the children happily fed the marmot.

“I didn’t expect that when I was careless, a marmot not only took the food from my bag but also dragged the car keys down the cave right in front of my whole family,” she said.

After several unsuccessful attempts to dig the key out with sticks, the group of tourists had to ask for help from the villagers. Dozens of people, from tourism volunteers to local residents, joined together to “dig” and “search thoroughly” to retrieve the key.

“They kept thinking of ways and even called in local farmers to help. They tried using strong magnets, steel wires and many other tools. Finally, even the village chief and the party cell secretary joined in,” Ms. Phuong recounted.

The “search operation” continued from 3pm. It was not until 7pm that same day that they successfully pulled the key out of the cave after 4 hours of perseverance, thanks to the use of strong magnets.

However, this is not the first time marmots have caused trouble in Litang County. Previously, in July, a marmot had carried off a tourist’s DJI Action 4 sports camera, but unfortunately, the camera was not found that time.

Following these incidents, local authorities advised tourists not to feed marmots due to the potential risk of disease transmission and bite infections.

This story quickly "caused a stir" on Chinese social networks, making many people excited.

“The marmot is probably in its cave filming: Hi everyone, I just got a car today!” one user commented. Another joked: “With a sports camera and car keys, the marmot is about to start a travel vlog.”

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ca-lang-hop-suc-dao-boi-4-tieng-tim-lai-chia-khoa-xe-cho-du-khach-do-bi-chuot-tha-mat-20250816153926681.htm