'Groundhog Whisperer?' TSA Worker Gets New Nickname after Chase on Virginia Runway

Aug. 24—An airport worker chased down a groundhog on a Virginia runway — earning him a new nickname.

Shelby Tibbs is now known as the "groundhog whisperer" after he raced to rescue the animal from the heat, the Transportation Security Administration said Monday.

"I think he wanted to catch a flight to someplace cold because it was very hot that day," Tibbs said in a news release. "I guess he couldn't buy a ticket. But he was a very good passenger while we drove to the nearby creek."

Tibbs, an explosives detection canine handler, was doing a training exercise with his German short-haired pointer last month when officials said he saw a groundhog scurry near the runway at Washington Dulles International Airport, outside of Washington, D.C.

"Wildlife on airport runways are a risk to their safety and to the safety of airplanes and other vehicles that move along airport operations areas along the tarmac and runways," the TSA said in its news release.

Adding to the dangers, Tibbs said the animal appeared to be struggling in the heat, with the tarmac reaching over 100 degrees. He decided to take action after he "spotted the groundhog run for cover," according to officials.

"I ran him down, wrapped the leash around him several times and picked him up," said Tibbs, who has a rabies vaccine and animal control experience.

Photos show Tibbs holding the animal after it was pulled from the tarmac. The TSA training dog, Dux, was put inside an air-conditioned truck while the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority worked to bring the groundhog to safety, officials said.

The groundhog found a new home near a creek that was off airport grounds, according to the TSA.

Groundhogs — sometimes called woodchucks — are rodents that can weigh up to 10 pounds. Though some people watch the animals' shadows to predict the end of wintry weather, there isn't scientific evidence to back up their abilities to make forecasts, according to the pest control business Terminix.

"The woodchuck is present everywhere in Virginia except the eastern shore and the extreme southeastern corner of the state," the state's Department of Wildlife Resources said on its website. "This species prefers open woods, brushy areas, and fields."

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