PETA activists are calling for Punxsutawney Phil, the region's fluffiest weather predictor, to be replaced with a vegan "weather reveal cake" during Sunday's annual Groundhog Day celebration in However, PETA -- the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- wants to cancel Groundhog Day. Instead, they'd like to replace Pennsylvania's treasured Punxsutawney Phil tradition with a PETA Proposes Groundhog Day ‘Weather Reveal’ Cake To Retire Punxsutawney Phil, Club Responds Punxsutawney Phil may soon be out of a job—if PETA has its way. The animal rights organization sent a letter on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, urging the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club to retire its famed groundhog to a sanctuary and replace him with a Last year PETA suggested the groundhog be replaced with a giant gold coin and in 2022, Groundhog Day is celebrated on Monday, Feb. 2 this year. PETA proposes a coin toss for Groundhog Day tradition In a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, PETA urges the group to cease the exploitation of the animal Published: Jan 27, 2024, 10:00 a.m. MST The animal rights group PETA wants to replace Punxsutawney Phil, the beloved groundhog that is used to forecast weather during the annual Groundhog Day celebration in Pennsylvania, with a gold If the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle – the group that organizes the Groundhog Day event and cares for Phil – agreed to send the animal to a sanctuary, PETA offered to send the PETA Calls for Punxsutawney Phil to Be Replaced By Robot Groundhog for Groundhog Day Duties PETA’s goal is to protect the groundhog, who it says is “a shy, solitary animal.” Next Friday is Groundhog Day, when Punxsutawney Phil will emerge and predict early spring or 6 more weeks of winter. Now, PETA is calling for change. PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. PETA’s letter to Lundy follows. January 25, 2022. Jeff Lundy President The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club PETA has called for Groundhog Day alternatives in the past, including offering to send a giant gold coin to replace the animal in 2024. Groundhog Day has been celebrated in the U.S. since 1887. To urge the club to retire Phil and his companion, Phyllis, to a reputable sanctuary, PETA wrote a letter to its Inner Circle president suggesting other ways the town can celebrate Groundhog Day—without using live groundhogs. PETA has called for Groundhog Day alternatives in the past, including offering to send a giant gold coin to replace the animal in 2024. Groundhog Day has been celebrated in the U.S. since 1887. Before Reading Begin by explaining to your students the cruel tradition of Groundhog Day. Tell them that many groundhogs are taken away from the safety and comfort of their natural habitat and kept in roadside zoos and museum exhibits—where they can’t search for food, roam freely, or even hibernate for the winter—all so that people can hold them up in front of large, loud crowds to find Groundhogs are naturally shy, sensitive prey animals who react poorly when handled in front of raucous crowds, as evidenced by a 2015 incident when a groundhog named Jimmy bit a Wisconsin mayor’s ear at the 67 th annual Sun Prairie Groundhog Day celebration PETA has offered the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club a vegan cake to use for weather prediction if they retire Punxsutawney Phil to a sanctuary. The animal rights organization believes Phil is being When is Groundhog Day 2025? Groundhog Day will take place Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. Thousands will show up in person, with the grounds to Gobblers Knob opening at 4 a.m., and millions will tune in to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow. More: Where to watch Bill Murray's 1993 classic movie 'Groundhog Day' for Groundhog Day. What is PETA proposed replacing the furry rodent with a gender-reveal inspired cake with either blue or pink frosting inside. Getty/PETA. The world-famous ritual, which dates back to 1887, has resulted in thousands of loyal fans flocking to Punxsutawney each year to see if the prognosticating groundhog will spot his shadow when he awakens. It isn't the first year PETA has attempted to retire Punxsutawney Phil. In 2024, the group offered to replace the groundhog with a giant gold coin, while in 2022 they suggested officials predict the weather with persimmon seeds. The annual Groundhog Day celebration is scheduled to take place in Pennsylvania on Feb. 2. PETA has sent a letter to the groundhog club offering to deliver a "weather reveal" vegan cake to Gobbler's Knob every year on Groundhog Day if Phil and his family are delivered to a reputable
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