PETA is advocating for Punxsutawney Phil to step down from his regular role of predicting the weather in the United States.
The animal rights group has written a letter to Tom Dunkel, the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, asking them to substitute the well-known groundhog with a large coin on Groundhog Day, a holiday that occurs on February 2nd.
According to PETA, the person being referred to is not professionally trained as a meteorologist and it is unfair to continuously use them for financial gain in the tourism industry.
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PETA made a request to the club in 2022, suggesting that they should use a persimmon tree as a means to forecast the weather instead of relying on Phil.
According to PETA president Ingrid Newkirk, Phil is highly skilled in digging tunnels, searching for food, and living in accordance with his natural instincts, rather than being knowledgeable in meteorology.
PETA wants to assist the groundhog club in starting a more compassionate February 2nd by allowing Phil and his companion to be relocated to a trustworthy sanctuary. In this sanctuary, Phil can live without concerns, without being handled and spun around, and have the opportunity to engage in natural behaviors that he has been deprived of in his Plexiglas enclosure.
Since 1887, people from near and far, both residents and visitors, have journeyed to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to witness the annual event of Phil the groundhog emerging from his temporary dwelling. Based on whether Phil sees his shadow or not, it is believed to predict either six more weeks of winter or an early arrival of spring.
In 1993, the film Groundhog Day was released, featuring Bill Murray in the role of a frustrated weatherman who finds himself trapped in a repeating cycle of time.
Famous individuals who attempted to reveal the alleged secret group known as the Illuminati. Credit for the gallery goes to Taylor Alexis Heady.
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