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PROSSER, Wash. -- "The marmots are coming, the marmots are coming." Seniors living in Wine Country Villa probably wish they had gotten such a warning.
Residents say the oversized rodents are swarming through the 75-unit development of manufactured homes near the airport of this Eastern Washington town.
They are burrowing under homes, fouling front porches with their droppings and -- according to some unconfirmed accounts -- attacking people.
Many marmots species, including some known as woodchucks and groundhogs, are found across North America. They are closely related to ground squirrels and are among the largest of rodents, some reaching 30 pounds.
"Can you imagine what they'd do to cats?" asked resident Dick Bain, 78.
Residents say officials in the health department have told them there's nothing the agency can do because the animals pose no public health risk. Town ordinances prohibit residents from shooting the critters.
State fish and wildlife officials say residents likely will have to pay if they want to eradicate the infestation, and then only after clearing some bureaucratic hurdles.
http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/9297793/detail.html