People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, suggested that Groundhog Day be celebrated with a “weather cake” instead of pulling Punxsutawney Phil from his burrow to determine if winter will be prolonged or if spring will come early.
In a news release, PETA said it would deliver a vegan cake each Groundhog Day in perpetuity if the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club President Tom Dunkel agrees to let Punxsutawney Phil and his family retire to a reputable sanctuary.
Like a gender reveal cake, the proposed weather cake will be cut to expose one of two colors: blue, signifying six more weeks of winter, or pink, indicating an early spring.
This isn’t the first time the organization has tried to retire Phil. Last year, they suggested replacing the groundhog with a giant gold coin, and in 2022, they suggested that officials predict the weather with persimmon seeds.
“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,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement. “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.’”
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club hasn’t publically responded to PETA.
According to reports, Phil has been right about early spring or long winter only 30% of the time over the decade.
The annual Groundhog Day celebration is scheduled to take place in Pennsylvania on Feb. 2.
