Governor Josh Shapiro isn’t on board with PETA’s latest push to retire Punxsutawney Phil, writes Mike Snider and Amiras Encinas for USA Today.
The animal rights group proposed replacing the famous weather-predicting groundhog with a vegan “weather reveal” cake.
In a letter to Punxsutawney Groundhog Club president Tom Dunkel, PETA suggested sending an annual cake to Gobbler’s Knob if Phil and his family were relocated to a sanctuary. The cake, inspired by gender reveal parties, would use blue to signify six more weeks of winter and pink for an early spring.
Shapiro, the Abington native, quickly dismissed the idea, responding on X with a blunt “Come and take it.”
PETA has made similar requests before. Last year, they suggested replacing Phil with a giant gold coin, and in 2022, they recommended using persimmon seeds for weather predictions.
While the group likely doesn’t expect its proposals to be accepted, PETA continues its efforts to spotlight what it sees as animal mistreatment. “We know that locals and tourists who genuinely respect Phil want him to live his life doing what’s natural to him,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk wrote.
PETA offered an alternative if the reveal cake was not sufficient: a thermometer that reads ‘if it’s still cold, it’s still winter.’
Read more about Punxsutawney Phil and PETA’s attempts to retire him in USA Today.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on MONTCO Today in February 2025.
