Is it time for Punxsutawney Phil to retire? PETA proposes a coin toss for Groundhog Day tradition
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Every year, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, demands changes to Groundhog Day traditions through a letter.
The group, whose motto includes the phrase “animals are not ours to use for entertainment,” believes every animal is someone, according to PETA.
What does the letter say?
On Jan. 22, Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, released a letter to Tom Dunkel, president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, that can be found on the PETA website.
Formed in the 1880s, the Punxsutawney Groundhog club, comprised of 15 members, has the duty of protecting the “legend of the great weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil,” according to the club’s website.
The letter includes:
A proposed compromise. If Phil retires into a reputable sanctuary, PETA will send the club a two-sided giant coin to forecast the weather instead. The coin, with sides reading “six more weeks of winter” and “early spring,” was described as being more accurate than Phil, who did not consent to be the town’s “meteorologist.”
PETA mentions a recent study conducted by researchers at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, in which predictions from coins were compared to groundhogs’ predictions. While a coin lands on the same side 50% of the time, Phil has only been shown to be correct 40% of the time.
Groundhog respect and sympathy. PETA argues that the annual tradition involves “forcing a shy, sensitive animal out into the cold, waving him around overhead in front of loud crowds and treating him like an object shouldn’t be.”
The letter says that groundhogs are highly intelligent, live in underground burrows and should not be on display at the local library. Keeping Phil to bring revenue and attention is inhumane, PETA claims.
A reminder of previous offers. PETA reminds the club that the organization’s other offers are still on the table: a human replacement or a persimmon tree. In the meantime, the organization will send wooden “Round Tuit” coins, encouraging the club to “get around to it” (making the change).
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club has yet to respond to PETA’s letter. Their most recent response, as of Thursday, came back in 2020, according to WJAC.
Bill Deeley, the previous president of the club, said he believed in the mission of PETA, but argued that the club is not abusing Phil.
“How come you criticize us for what we do when you have never come and seen what we do. If we do things you think we shouldn’t we will correct it,” Deeley said.
When is Groundhog Day?
Every year, Groundhog Day is celebrated on Feb. 2. 2024 marks the holiday’s 138th anniversary.
Today, thousands of people visit Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to witness Phil’s prediction, according to the History Channel.
Since Groundhog Day festivities began, Phil has seen his shadow 107 times (signifying six more weeks of winter) and saw no shadow 20 times. For 10 of the 137 years, there’s no record of what happened.
Last year, Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, per the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
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