Life for Punxsutawney Phil is No Piece of Cake! PETA Offers ‘Weather Reveal’ Dessert to Replace Exploited Groundhog
For Immediate Release:
January 21, 2025
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
Let them eat cake! Today, PETA sent a letter to The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s president, Tom Dunkel, with an irresistible offer he’d be well served to gobble up at Gobbler’s Knob. PETA will deliver a delicious “Weather Reveal” vegan cake each Groundhog Day in perpetuity if Dunkel agrees to let Punxsutawney Phil and his family retire to a reputable sanctuary, a move that will earn the outfit kudos from wildlife fans. In a fun play on viral gender reveal videos, PETA’s tasty treat would be cut to expose one of two colors: blue, signifying six more weeks of winter, or pink, indicating an early spring.
“When allowed to be themselves, groundhogs avoid humans, create intricate networks of underground burrows, communicate with one another, and even climb trees, but poor Phil is denied all of that for a tired old gimmick,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk “PETA is urging The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club to sprinkle some happiness into Phil’s life by retiring him and giving Groundhog Day a much-needed ‘cake makeover.’”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA’s letter to Dunkel follows.
January 21, 2025
Tom Dunkel
President
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
Dear Mr. Dunkel:
I’m writing again on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally, including many thousands in Pennsylvania—with a sweet new offer: Retire Phil to a reputable sanctuary with his family, and every year we’ll provide a giant vegan “Weather Reveal” cake (it would be the first in the world this year) to share with revelers at Gobbler’s Knob. If the inside of the cake is blue, there will be six more weeks of winter. If it’s pink, there will be an early spring. This would allow you to still make tourism dough while showing Phil a slice of decency. It would be as least as accurate as asking a groundhog what to expect in a way that doesn’t even reflect his nature.
You batter believe that for Phil, Groundhog Day is no piece of cake. Groundhogs are shy prey animals who, when allowed, actively avoid humans. Yet, year after year, Phil is transported to Gobler’s Knob, whisked on stage, and subjected to a noisy announcer, screaming crowds, and flashing lights against all his natural instincts. 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.
If our suggestions for alternatives to exploiting an intelligent, sensitive animal are starting to feel like Groundhog Day, it’s because in the 21st century, as more and more people realize that every animal is an individual with their own interests, needs, and personalities—as well as being able to feel pain, fear, joy, and love—we know that locals and tourists who genuinely respect Phil want him to live his life doing what’s natural to him.
We’re not going to sugarcoat it: It’s high time for Punxsutawney to rise to the occasion and follow the example of kind communities like the Village of Babylon, New York, which has a willing human prognosticator in a costume to protect—not exploit—our fellow animals. If you don’t like this idea, the icing on the cake is that we have another offer: We’d be happy to send you a large thermometer for Gobbler’s Knob instead that reads, “If it’s still cold, it’s still winter,” which would aptly represent the absurdity of the current form of this tired old spectacle. We look forward to hearing from you, as always.
Very truly yours,
Ingrid Newkirk
President
