Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation announced on March 7 that Poppy, a rescued groundhog and animal ambassador for the organization, had passed away. Acorn Acres will host a memorial for Poppy on Saturday, April 1, at Jack's Family Tavern & Restaurant, 15 S. Prince St., Millersville. The event will be held from noon to 4 p.m. and will include light refreshments, children's activities, cornhole and a silent auction. Although the event will be free, Acorn Acres asks attendees to consider making a donation, which will fund the groundhog caging at its facility.

Upon receiving the news of Poppy's passing, several members of the community reached out to Acorn Acres' founder, Betsy Shenk, to ask her if she would host a memorial. Shenk had originally planned to hold a baby shower-like event on April 1 to collect supplies for the rehab, as most wild animals begin raising their offspring during this time of year. April 1 would have been Poppy's fourth birthday, so Shenk decided to transform the event into a way to honor her memory and to provide the community with a way to benefit the other groundhogs at Acorn Acres. With the money raised from donations, Acorn Acres will erect housing for its groundhogs with a plaque that reads "The House That Poppy Built." "It's a way for us to remember her and to celebrate the incredible life of a little groundhog," Shenk said. "This way, every little groundhog that goes through that house will benefit from Poppy."

Poppy came into Shenk's care in May 2019, after she was found without a mother by a resident of Conestoga. The rehab that initially took Poppy in was having difficulty getting her to eat and transferred her to Shenk's care, as Shenk specializes in rehabilitating rodents. Soon after, Shenk realized that the issue was caused by a malocclusion, a birth defect resulting in crooked teeth. Since groundhogs' teeth grow perpetually and rely on the animal wearing them down, rodents with malocclusion that are unable to manage the length of their teeth are at risk of fatal health problems. Shenk only had three options: to euthanize Poppy, put her under anesthesia and trim her teeth every 10 days or remove her teeth altogether. Shenk decided to remove Poppy's teeth and train her as an animal ambassador, as she was unable to be released back into the wild.

Since becoming an ambassador for Acorn Acres, Poppy achieved remarkable feats for a groundhog, including starring in an NFL championship commercial in 2020 alongside Bill Murray. Poppy accompanied Shenk to dozens of events and animal rehabilitation centers to help educate thousands of people on groundhogs and the important roles they play in the ecosystem. Shenk estimated that Poppy helped to educate nearly 12,000 people during her time as an ambassador.

"I think one of the biggest things she did was make people smile during a difficult time," Shenk said. "I would see people looking at this beautiful little creature and smiling behind their masks. As much as this is going to tear our hearts out, I think the community needs this opportunity to grieve and celebrate her."

For more information, visit http://www.acornacreswr.com.