If it ain’t burrowed, don’t fix it.
PETA is calling for Punxsutawney Phil, the world’s most famous groundhog, to be swapped out for a massive “state-of-the-art” hologram.
The animal rights organization sent a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s president, Tom Dunkel, requesting that the fluffy weather predictor be replaced with a dazzling 3-D projection complete with “vocal weather predictions,” to let Phil and his family retire from the annual Feb. 2 ceremony to a “reputable sanctuary.”
“Pixelated popstars are headlining concerts and long departed celebrities are attending conventions, so why not put that technology to good use: on a hologram that lets the real Phil hibernate in peace,” PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk said in a news release.
“PETA is urging the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club to chuck its tired tradition of harassing a shy animal and give Gobbler’s Knob a glow-up with a phantom prognosticator,” Newkirk added.
The staunch animal rights organization writes a letter every year calling for the beloved rodent to be replaced with any myriad of inanimate objects, including a vegan “weather reveal cake” and a giant gold coin.
“PETA notes that, when given the chance, naturally shy groundhogs avoid humans and enjoy burrowing, exploring, and hibernating — all of which are impossible in the small enclosure Phil is kept in year-round,” the group said in a statement.
The hologram would flash an apparition of a blue Phil with the words “six more weeks of winter,” along with some floating snowflakes, or show him illuminated in pink, with a display of flowers for an “early spring.”
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on PETA’s pitch.
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