The organization PETA is advocating for Punxsutawney Phil to step down from his yearly role of predicting the weather in the United States. They propose replacing him with a giant coin instead.
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 for the celebration of Groundhog Day on February 2nd.
According to PETA, the person in question is not a meteorologist and should not be used solely for the purpose of generating tourism income.
FIND OUT MORE: Criticism faced by a theme park due to animal mistreatment after a series of giraffe fatalities.
PETA made a request to the club in 2022, suggesting that they should use a persimmon tree as a weather predictor instead of relying on Phil.
During that moment, Ingrid Newkirk, the president of PETA, stated that Phil is skilled in digging tunnels, searching for food, and living in accordance with his natural instincts, rather than being knowledgeable in meteorology.
According to Newkirk from PETA, the organization is aiming to assist the groundhog club in starting a more compassionate February 2nd celebration. They want to relocate Phil and his companion to a trustworthy sanctuary where they can live a stress-free life, without being handled and spun around, and be able to engage in their natural behaviors that they are currently deprived of in their Plexiglas enclosure.
For over a century, people from the local area and visitors from distant places have been going to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to witness the annual event of Phil, a small and furry creature, coming out of his temporary dwelling. Depending on whether Phil sees his shadow or not, it is believed to indicate either six more weeks of winter or an early arrival of spring.
Released in 1993, Groundhog Day is a film where Bill Murray portrays a weatherman who is frustrated and trapped in a recurring time cycle.
Famous individuals who have made attempts to unveil the alleged secret society known as the Illuminati. Credit for the gallery goes to Taylor Alexis Heady.
Additional content from Taste of Country can be found here. For more details and updates