Overview
- On Jan. 21, PETA sent Punxsutawney Groundhog Club president Tom Dunkel a letter offering to retire Phil and his family to a sanctuary in exchange for a state-of-the-art 3-D projection at Gobbler’s Knob.
- The proposed hologram would deliver vocal weather predictions and display color-coded visuals, with blue for six more weeks of winter and pink for an early spring.
- PETA argues Phil’s year-round enclosure is too small and says groundhogs are timid animals that avoid humans and loud crowds.
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro publicly defended Phil, posting a “DONT TREAD ON ME” image, and a spokesperson said he is serious about that stance.
- The Groundhog Club has not responded to media inquiries, and the bid continues PETA’s yearly push for non-animal stand-ins for the Feb. 2 tradition that draws thousands.