Get Ready For SPRING

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. - With parts of the U.S. socked in by snow, the world's most famous groundhog predicts spring is on the way.

"The sky is here. Prepare yourself for spring," according to the prediction Punxsutawney Phil made through his handlers.

Punxsutawney Phil failed to see his shadow, signaling an early spring.

The forecasts are concocted by Phil's handlers, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle.

German tradition holds that if a hibernating animal sees its shadow on Feb. 2 -- the Christian holiday of Candlemas -- winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.

Since 1887, Phil has seen his shadow 98 times and hasn't seen it 16 times, including this year. There are no records for the remaining years, though the group has never failed to issue a forecast.

www.wtop.com

PETA Wants Robotic Groundhog

Animal-rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) wrote a Jan. 21 letter to organizers of the annual Groundhog Day spectacle in Punxsutawney, PA, demanding that the live groundhog used each year on Feb. 2 be replaced by a robotic version, USA Today reported Wednesday.

The paper showed a letter written by Gemma Vaughan, a PETA "Animals in Entertainment specialist," to Bill Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, in which Vaughan appeals to him to "make the compassionate decision to use an animatronic Phil and retire the live groundhogs who are used for Groundhog Day activities to a sanctuary."

Vaughan goes on to say that the groundhogs "become stressed when they are exposed to large, screaming crowds; flashing lights from perhaps hundreds of cameras; and human handling."

In response, Deeley told the Associated Press that Phil is kept in a climate-controlled environment, is inspected annually by the state Department of Agriculture and is "being treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania."

http://www.foxnews.com/

That's telling them, Mr. Deeley! And he's right! Phil is the most celebrated groundhog of today and has been for many years. PETA, if you want to do something for your "ethnical treatment of animals" why don't you spend some money on making donations to the SPCA's across America? If PETA people had more than a pea for a brain they would know that the public would not be attracted to this event year after year if groundhogs were being abused! Give normal people some credit. PETA, the people will let you know when animals are being abused. But good luck getting your robotic groundhog.