PETA is advocating for the retirement of Punxsutawney Phil, who has been traditionally used to predict the weather in the U.S.
The animal rights group has written a letter to the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Tom Dunkel, expressing their desire for the club to replace the traditional groundhog with a large coin for the Groundhog Day celebration on February 2nd.
PETA expressed that the individual in question is not a professional meteorologist 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 use a persimmon tree as a weather predictor instead of relying on Phil.
At that time, Ingrid Newkirk, the president of PETA, expressed that Phil is highly skilled in digging, searching for food, and leading a life 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 tradition. They are advocating for Phil and his companion to be relocated to a trustworthy sanctuary. This way, Phil can live without any concerns, without being handled and spun around, and be able to engage in natural behaviors that he is currently deprived of in his Plexiglas enclosure.
For over a century, people from all over have been visiting Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to witness the annual event of Phil, a small furry creature, coming out of his temporary dwelling. Depending on whether Phil sees his shadow or not, it predicts either six more weeks of winter or an early arrival of spring.
The film Groundhog Day, which came out in 1993, features Bill Murray playing the role of a weatherman who is unhappy with his job and finds himself repeating the same day
Famous individuals who attempted to uncover the alleged secret society known as the Illuminati. Image credits go to Taylor Alexis Heady.
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