Well, the Bernal Marmot had a pretty good run here in the Big City: Tasty food. Fashionable neighborhoods. A massive fan club.
Now that the Bernal Marmot has been captured, his pursuers rescuers from Wildlife Emergency Services are holding a benefit today from 4 pm to 9 pm at the Rock Bar (on 29th at Tiffany) to raise funds for the Bernal Marmot’s transport back to the higher elevations of his native Sierra Nevada biome.
Extra Bonus: The Rock Bar will be serving a special cocktail this evening. It’s called the Marmotini, and it’s a special blend of spirits designed to look like antifreeze — the marmot’s favorite illicit beverage:
Regarding tonights’s festivities, WES writes:
Thanks to the media coverage back in June, we received a few good leads on where the marmot may have come from. One, in particular, seemed most likely. Everything fit – the dates, time, location. We believe the marmot hitched a ride from the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite National Park.
We contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for authorization to return the animal to the wild. We then connected with Park authorities and received their blessing for the animal’s return.
Thanks to one of our wonderful responders, Akira, who volunteered to make the near-seven-hour roundtrip, the little whistle-pig will be returning home tomorrow.
In the meantime, make your plans to have a specially crafted Marmotini at the Rock Bar in San Francisco to celebrate the repatriation of the marmot to her home, and help raise funds to offset her travel expenses. A percentage of each sale of the specially crafted cocktail (made to resemble antifreeze) sold from 4:00 to 9:00 PM Saturday, August 10th will be donated to Wildlife Emergency Services.
UPDATE: 11 Aug, 9:04 am
The Marmot-inspiried drinks at the Rock Bar were truly delicious; so much so that I woke up this morning with a slight Marmotini hangover. I endure this hangover proudly, because it signifies that I care very deeply.
Here’s a scene from last night:
Happy also to report that there were some fine Bernal neighbors sitting at the bar with us, who also cared very deeply for the Bernal Marmot. Neighbor Anita snapped this one:
PHOTO: The Bernal Marmot (safely in custody), by Traci Tsukida, Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley
Bernalwood 
Since I am the alleged inadvertent transporter of all things marmot, guess I’ll have to get a marmotini in support of her return to the wilderness. The weird thing is I am going back to tuolumne meadows next week. This time I will check under the hood for fellow travelers…
Hello San Francisco and Bernal Heights:
I live in the Sierra Foothills, east side of the Sierra, and with friends in Bernal Heights, I have followed your adventure with your marmot. Congratulations on a great job of finding and sending the creature home.
We also have several marmot-city-dwellers. I have been in some somewhat rural areas of Reno and seen a marmot pop up out of the sewer (ugh for the choice of homes). I would much rather see them in the wild, say in a wilderness area about 7,000 feet, peeking out behind a boulder.
I just left the fundraiser and I urge everyone to go. My name is Carlos and Buster the Marmot has been living in my backyard garages since July 14. This Monday being bored with his surrounding I started to see him outside in front of my building on Harrison St. eating grass and watching life from under the cars. Needless to say I was worried but he always returned to the garages. On Wed. he was again under the cars and when Ieft to go to my mom’s in Noe Valley he must have been in the chasis and he caught the ride. When I started the car I saw him jump out and run into the schoolyard where animal control caught him the next day. My compliments to Animal Control and that is the story of Buster and I’m glad it is a happy One!!!!!!.