Groundhog Day is almost here, and animal rights organization PETA is calling for changes to the celebration once again. PETA, or “People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,” is suggesting the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, replace the Punxsutawney Phil groundhog tradition with a “weather reveal” vegan cake.
Typically, if the groundhog sees its shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. If it doesn’t, that means an early spring.
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How would a weather reveal cake work?
PETA said the sweet treat would be similar to how cakes are used during baby gender reveal celebrations.
Once the cake is cut, it would show either blue, meaning six more weeks of winter, or pink, meaning an early spring.
PETA’s President Ingrid Newkirk wrote a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club President Tom Dunkel on Jan. 21, asking for the change.
“Year after year, Phil is transported to Gobler’s Knob, whisked on stage, and subjected to a noisy announcer, screaming crowds, and flashing lights against all his natural instincts,” Newkirk said.
“If approached in his natural habitat, he would run away in fear, not volunteer to live year-round in captivity, unable to do anything that’s natural and important to him, like hibernate or burrow, just to be a town’s once-a-year fake meteorologist,” Newkirk added.
What other suggestions has PETA made in the past?
PETA has made other suggestions in the past to replace Punxsutawney Phil.
In 2024, the group asked for Phil to be replaced by a giant coin, while in 2022, they suggested officials use a persimmon tree to predict the weather instead.
In 2020, PETA said the animal should be swapped out for an animatronic version that would be equipped with artificial intelligence capable of more accurately predicting the weather.
What does the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club think?
Straight Arrow News reached out to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club for a response on PETA’s latest suggestion, but they have yet to respond.
Former president and current member of the club Jeff Lundy responded to PETA’s past suggestions in a 2022 interview with KDKA NewsRadio. He called Phil “the king in Punxsutawney” and said he lives at a certified agricultural zoo and gets regular vet checks.
The Punxsutawney Phil reveal has been a tradition since 1887.
According to the Stormfax Weather Almanac, Phil has been right only about 39% of the time.
