PETA is advocating for the retirement of Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog known for predicting the weather in the U.S. every year. They propose replacing him with a giant coin instead.
The animal rights group has sent a letter to Tom Dunkel, the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, expressing their desire for the club to replace the traditional groundhog with a large coin to commemorate Groundhog Day on February 2nd.
PETA expressed that the person in question lacks expertise in meteorology and should not be taken advantage of annually for the sake of generating tourism revenue.
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PETA made a request to the club in 2022, suggesting that they should use a persimmon tree to forecast the weather instead of relying on Phil.
During that time, Ingrid Newkirk, the president of PETA, emphasized that Phil is knowledgeable in digging underground, searching for food, and embracing a natural way of life, rather than being an expert in weather prediction.
According to Newkirk, PETA is aiming 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 any concerns, free from being handled and spun around, and have the opportunity to engage in natural behaviors that have been denied to him in his current Plexiglas enclosure.
For over a century, people from near and far, including both locals and tourists, have been coming to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to witness the annual event of Phil, a small and furry creature, emerging from his temporary dwelling. Depending on whether Phil's shadow is seen or not, it predicts either six more weeks of winter or an early arrival of spring.
The film Groundhog Day, which was released in 1993, features Bill Murray as a weatherman who is frustrated and trapped in a repetitive cycle of time.
Famous individuals who attempted to uncover the alleged secret society known as the Illuminati. Image attribution: Taylor Alexis Heady.
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