PETA wants to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a giant gold coin

WASHINGTON — The animal rights group PETA wants to replace Punxsutawney Phil, the Groundhog Day forecaster, with a giant gold coin. 

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said it wrote to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s president offering “a giant coin” if they choose to retire Phil and send him to a sanctuary. 

This is far from the first time that the group has called for Phil’s retirement. In recent years, the group has also suggested to use AI robots, persimmons and even a “human groundhog” to replace Punxsutawney Phil. 

“Beyond a shadow of a doubt, a groundhog’s weather prediction is no more accurate than flipping a coin,” the group wrote in its announcement this week. “He is not a meteorologist and deserves better than to be exploited every year for tourism money.”

The annual Groundhog Day ceremony in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, dates back to 1887, according to the Library of Congress. But even with more than 100 years of “forecasting experience,” Punxsutawney Phil certainly isn’t perfect. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration compared Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast to the national weather the last 10 years and found “on average, Phil has gotten it right 40% of the time.” Going back all the way to his first prediction in 1887, he’s been right only 39% of the time, according to an analysis from Stormfax Weather Almanac. 

Groundhog Day is Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. 

During the annual celebration, people gather at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Phil’s “inner circle” summon the groundhog from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he has seen his shadow. 

According to folklore, if he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring comes early.

The last time Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow was in 2020, and before that in 2019, offering a back-to-back dose of his rare early spring prediction.