PETA Suggests Replacing Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day with a 'Weather Reveal' Cake

Mar. 15, 2025

Punxsutawney Phil, a cake.Photo:Jeff Swensen/Getty; Getty

Jeff Swensen/Getty; Getty

PETAis calling for a change toGroundhog Day.

The organization — which stands for “People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals” — shared anews releaseon Jan. 21, in which they suggested thatPunxsutawney Phil, the groundhog who predicts whether winter will go on for six more weeks or spring will arrive early, should be replaced with a “weather reveal” cake.

The animal rights advocates added that Punxsutawney Phil and his family should “retire to a reputable sanctuary” instead of taking part in the annual tradition, which takes place on Feb. 2.

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Groundhog handler AJ Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil in February 2024.Jeff Swensen/Getty

Jeff Swensen/Getty

Continuing the play on words, Newkirk said, “Groundhog Day is nopiece of cake” for Punxsutawney Phil, detailing that “groundhogs are shy prey animals who, when allowed, actively avoid humans.”

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“Yet, year after year, Phil is transported to Gobler’s Knob,whiskedon stage, and subjected to a noisy announcer, screaming crowds, and flashing lights against all his natural instincts,” she continued.

Added Newkirk: “If approached in his natural habitat, he would run away in fear, not volunteer to live year-round in captivity, unable to do anything that’s natural and important to him like hibernate or burrow — just to be a town’s once-a-year fake meteorologist.”

A sex reveal cake (stock image).AzmanJaka/Getty

AzmanJaka/Getty

PETA has made similar offers to replace Punxsutawney Phil in years past.

In 2024, the group asked The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club to retire the rodent infavor of a giant coin, while they suggested in 2022 that officials instead use a persimmon tree to predict the weather.

Two years earlier, in 2020, PETA argued that the animal should beswapped out for an animatronic versionthat would be equipped with artificial intelligence capable of more accurately predicting the weather.

Last year, Punxsutawney Philpredicted an early springover more weeks of winter.

source: people.com