Yes, (whistle) pigs can fly

Before a whistle pig can fly, apparently she must learn to hitchhike. Marmots, also known as whistle pigs, aren't native to highways and they don't have thumbs but they are good at disappearing into a cozy engine to hitch a ride. One yellow-bellied marmot recently completed an epic journey from Colorado to Canada.

It started when Canadian tourists made camp at the foot of the Maroon Bells near Aspen while the whistle pig curled up in the warm engine of their car for a midday snooze. The couple had no idea they picked up a live souvenir from Colorado when they headed back to The Great White North. Although, there were some warning signs.

The campers told fellow Torontoan Nathalie Karvonen they thought it was a little strange that their dog suddenly took an unusually intense interest in their car. Then they started hearing periodic chirping sounds under the hood (they don't call them whistle pigs for nothing). Six days later the tourists returned home and heard another chirp.

"Her boyfriend went under the car and looked up from underneath and could see some whiskers sticking out," said Karvonen, executive director of the Toronto Wildlife Centre.

Karvonen's team went into action. They parked the car in the corner of an underground garage and put nets on both sides. The stowaway "jumped out when they went to get her and one of the rescue staff netted her," Karvonen said.

The marmot was dehydrated and agitated but otherwise healthy, she said. Marmots are found in western Canada, but not in Toronto, so the rehab center contacted Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation in Boulder County to get advice on feeding and caring for her.

They also discussed sending her back, which seemed like a better idea than making her a Canadian citizen where she wouldn't have the right accent or know where to find food, mates and shelter that doesn't teleport to another country.

It took six weeks to work out international logistics before the whistle pig took a flight to Denver via Delta Air Lines cargo. Although faster than a car ride, the first-time flier was given medication to take the edge off. Her inflight food and water must have tasted like typical airplane food since Mysti Tatro of Greenwood Wildlife said it didn't look like she ate anything, although she did try to gnaw at her crate. There has been no announcement of an upcoming whistle pig sequel to "Snakes on a Plane."

Once in Denver, a Greenwood rehabilitation specialist checked her over, gave her refreshments and drove her (inside a car this time) to the expert marmot rehabbers at Pauline Schneegas Wildlife Foundation in Silt, Colo.

The marmot needed some down time after proving that (whistle) pigs can fly. After a few days she was released at the Maroon Bells where she had started her 3300 mile journey, having paid a steep price for a warm nap.

Turns out, hitchhiking is not unusual for marmots and other animals. Marmots live at high altitude but Tatro said Greenwood has taken in 23 of them in 14 years, and most were accidental travelers.

Greenwood currently has a baby marmot whose pregnant mother took a ride from Idaho Springs to the Denver area. Sadly, her sibling was killed by a dog and her mother ran off. Tatro said the little one is learning to drink from a syringe and sleeps with a stuffed animal for comfort. She will eventually go to the Schneegas facility where she and other baby marmots will learn to be wild before being released in the spring.

Tatro urges people to check their engines, wheel wells and other hiding spots around their vehicle before leaving the high country. Take a listen too. "If you hear a peep that sounds like a fire alarm has lost its batteries, that's what they sound like," Tatro said.