Pennsylvania’s governor, Josh Shapiro, is claws out in a dispute with animal rights organization Peta over Groundhog Day, pushing back against activists who suggested that the world-famous marmot Punxsutawney Phil should be replaced with a cake.
Punxsutawney Phil headlines the yearly Groundhog Day festival in this small Pennsylvania town. The mythos surrounding this event maintains that this woodchuck can predict whether spring will start early, depending on whether he sees his shadow when exiting his nest.
Groundhog Day takes place on 2 February. Sunday’s event marks its 139th year.
A dispute between Shapiro and Peta started to unfold on 21 January when the organization sent a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s president, Tom Dunkel, with a controversial pitch.
“Peta will deliver a delicious ‘Weather Reveal’ vegan cake each Groundhog Day in perpetuity if Dunkel agrees to let Punxsutawney Phil and his family retire to a reputable sanctuary, a move that will earn the outfit kudos from wildlife fans,” the group said in a press release.
“In a fun play on viral gender reveal videos, Peta’s tasty treat would be cut to expose one of two colors: blue, signifying six more weeks of winter, or pink, indicating an early spring,” the group explained in its pun-filled note. (Among Peta’s jeux de mots: “This would allow you to still make tourism dough while showing Phil a slice of decency.”)
Shapiro didn’t bite. The Democrat said, “Come and take it,” in a 31 January tweet.
Peta responded to Shapiro’s taunt on Saturday, replying to his X post: “It’s wonderful that you support Phil’s rehabilitation and release to a sanctuary! How would you like us to arrange pick up for him?”
Asked for comment on the ongoing dispute, Shapiro’s office said that he stood firm in support of Phil.
“The governor is dead serious in his defense of this historic Pennsylvania tradition and remains committed to protecting Punxsutawney Phil and the inner circle, and the role they play in the Groundhog Day celebration,” Manuel Bonder, Shapiro’s press secretary, told the Guardian.
The defense of Punxsutawney Phil made for strange bedfellows, WCHS noted.
“I agree with Governor Shapiro on something,” wrote Gabriella Hoffman, director of the Independent Women’s Forum Center for Energy and Conservation. “Peta is terrible.”
Groundhog Day traces its root to pre-Christian holidays feting seasonal turning points, according to the Library of Congress. When western European groups such as the Celts were converted to Christianity, church officials could not get them to abandon these festivals.
The first of February, among the days feting seasonal turning points, broadened into 2 February, transitioning into Candlemas, according to the Library of Congress. An English folk song showed that Candlemas became associated with weather prediction, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
When this belief arrived in Germany, it came to include the hedgehog. In German lore, if “the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a ‘Second Winter’ or six more weeks of bad weather”. German immigrants to the US brought their traditions but had to adapt to the lack of hedgehogs, the club said.
They picked another hibernating mammal: the groundhog.
Groundhog Day now brings 20,000-30,000 tourists to the area each year, according to WTAE. Tourists don’t seem to mind that Phil’s calls aren’t all that accurate, with scientists determining that a mere 35% of his predictions have been correct.
On Groundhog Day, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf made headlines by rejecting PETA’s proposal to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a cake for the annual weather prediction tradition. The animal rights organization suggested that using a cake instead of a live groundhog would be more ethical and prevent harm to the animal.
In response, Governor Wolf stated that Punxsutawney Phil is a beloved tradition in Pennsylvania and that he sees no reason to change it. He emphasized the importance of respecting and preserving cultural traditions, even if they may seem outdated or controversial.
While PETA’s intentions may have been well-meaning, it seems that Punxsutawney Phil will continue to be the star of Groundhog Day in Pennsylvania for the foreseeable future. Love it or hate it, the tradition lives on.
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Pennsylvania governor, PETA, Punxsutawney Phil, Groundhog Day, cake, animal rights, Pennsylvania news, animal activism, holiday traditions, animal welfare, wildlife conservation.
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