This year’s Groundhog Day could look a little different than prior years. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has issued a statement saying the Punxsutawney Phil should be replaced with a “vegan cake.” The animal rights group believes it will be “a fun play on viral gender reveal videos” that will leave our favorite celebrity rodent in peace. We have the nonprofit’s entire statement, including why it pitched such a drastic change in the first place, below.
PETA’s proposal for a Groundhog Day cake
On January 21, PETA—along with its president, Ingrid Newkirk—issued a statement detailing why it wants to swap Phil the Groundhog with a cake. They also wrote a letter to Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s president, Tom Dunkel.
“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,” Newkirk said. “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.’”
If PETA has its way, on the day of celebration, Punxsutawney, PA dignitaries would cut into the vegan cake to “expose one of two colors: blue, signifying six more weeks of winter, or pink, indicating 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,” Newkirk wrote in her letter to Dunkel.
“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.”
The reason behind this drastic shift comes from PETA’s widely known beliefs that animals shouldn’t be confined to cages.
“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,” Newkirk’s letter reads. “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.”
The history behind the Groundhog Day debate
PETA wanting to excuse Phil from his Groundhog Day duties is nothing new. For years, the animal rights organization has wanted something different to be used on the day—which it outlines in the letter.
“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,” the letter reads. “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.”
As of publication, Punxsutawney Groundhog Club still plans to use Phil the Groundhog in the 2025 ceremony, which takes place on Sunday, February 2, 2025.
