Punxsutawney Phil not ready to retire just yet the job
Hey PETA, keep your paws off Punxsutawney Phil.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants to retire the veteran prognosticator of the arrival of spring.
The animal rights organization wrote in a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club that it was time to change the decades-old tradition in which Phil predicts whether we will see an early end to winter.
Their suggestion for a replacement? A cutting-edge animatronic groundhog that could predict the weather using artificial intelligence.
“Gentle, vulnerable groundhogs are not barometers,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman wrote in a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. “PETA is offering the club a win-win situation: Breathe life into a tired tradition and finally do right by a long-suffering animal.”
“Being in close proximity to the public causes these animals great stress,” the letter states, adding “it’s no kind of life for these animals.”
Seriously?
Thousands of people gather for the annual event, which has taken place since the late 1800s. Legend says if the furry rodent sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If not, spring comes early.
Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this concept by selecting an animal — the hedgehog — as a means of predicting weather.
Phil’s longest streak of correct predictions and translations is 12 years, which occurred from 1958 to 1969. Phil saw his shadow on Groundhog Day all of those years. His longest streak of incorrect predictions is three years, which occurred from 1948 to 1950 and again from 2011 to 2013.
But it’s not about accuracy. It’s about fun.
It’s a huge deal for our neighbors to the east, where each Feb. 2 is a major holiday, and one that helps support the economy for the borough of 5,500 and the region.
The event brings in more than $1 million to the local economy every year.
It’s Punxsutawney’s day in the sun (or clouds). It’s the borough’s brief annual chance to be in the national spotlight.
So back off, PETA and let us have a little fun until we see the sun again.
Heck, even meteorologists can’t get the forecast right consistently.
— JGG
