Malverne Mel Wants Out! PETA and Humane Long Island Offer Groundhog Costume to Replace Live Animal

For Immediate Release:
January 21, 2025

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Ahead of Groundhog Day—and following last year’s botched event during which Malverne Mel the groundhog desperately tried to escape—PETA and Humane Long Island Director and Malverne native John DiLeonardo today sent a letter to Malverne Mayor Timothy Sullivan urging him to retire the beleaguered animal and offering to replace Mel with a costume that can be worn by a willing human participant, like the one worn by the Village of Babylon’s own “groundhog,” Babylon Belle.

PETA is also blitzing 10 area buses with a pointed message calling on the village to chuck the out-of-touch “tradition” and leave groundhogs in peace. PETA points out that as a prey species, groundhogs are shy, sensitive animals who avoid humans at all costs. Dragging them out of hibernation and exposing them to loud noises, bright lights, and raucous crowds can be traumatic—as evidenced by Mel’s attempt to flee last year.

“Groundhogs like Mel can’t predict the weather, but they do feel enormous stress when they’re paraded in front of noisy crowds for a photo op,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is calling on Malverne to let Mel walk—as he clearly wants to do—and use only willing humans in future events.”

“Groundhogs belong with their families in the forests and fields they call home, not in a cage and certainly not being manhandled for a silly stunt,” says DiLeonardo. “It’s time to end Malverne’s yearly tradition of tormenting Mel and switch to Groundhog Day festivities that everyone can enjoy.”

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 Sullivan follows.

January 21, 2025

The Honorable Timothy H. Sullivan

Mayor of the Village of Malverne

Dear Mr. Sullivan:

We are writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally, including hundreds of thousands in New York—and in partnership with Humane Long Island ahead of your annual Groundhog Day event and its potentially harmful impact on Malverne Mel. We ask that you hear us out and consider seeking alternative entertainment. If you agree, we’ll send you a costume for a willing human like the one worn by the Village of Babylon’s prognosticator, Babylon Belle.

It’s time to chuck the tired tradition of using live animals as props at events that completely disregard the interests of wildlife and so thoroughly disrespect them. As you may know, as a prey species, groundhogs are naturally shy, sensitive animals who actively avoid humans. Transporting Malverne Mel to an unfamiliar location, forcing him out of a cage, and subjecting him to noisy crowds and flashing lights cause him immense stress and fear, triggering a fight-or-flight response, as was aptly demonstrated by his desperate attempt to flee from last year’s event.

Another consideration is that groundhogs can transmit zoonotic pathogens to humans, so there can be a safety risk to their handlers and an increase in the risk of illness from infectious diseases.

There are plenty of excellent ways for Malverne to celebrate on February 2. If you don’t like the costume idea, you might consider using a stuffed toy or an animatronic groundhog with artificial intelligence that could actually predict the weather or hold a contest for the best groundhog costume and allow the winner to give the prognostication—an event that elementary school children would surely love.

We trust that you would never knowingly exhibit animals in a manner that causes them distress, and we hope you’ll consider using alternatives to live animals. We respectfully request that you no longer use a live groundhog as your Malverne Mel and exclude all other wildlife from future events—for the well-being of groundhogs and humans alike. Thank you for your consideration of this matter. May we please hear from you soon?

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

President, PETA

John Di Leonardo

Executive Director and Anthrozoologist, Humane Long Island

cc:       Jennifer Prizzi, President, Malverne Civic Association
Leonore Russell, Chairperson, Farm Committee, Crossroads Farm at Grossmann’s