Should Punxsutawney Phil be replaced by a robot?
YES
Ori Smith
Punxsutawney Phil is best known for his role in Groundhog Day, but this shy celebrity is reaching his breaking point. The tradition has gone too far.
Every Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, Pa., a groundhog named Phil is forced to be on display for an American tradition. Phil has to scurry out of his burrow to look for his shadow. A shadow means extended winter, and no shadow means early spring.
This tradition adds unnecessary stress to a normally shy animal. Phil is exposed to flashing lights, large, screaming crowds and human handling. This atmosphere is frightening for a groundhog. Once these animals are outside their burrows they are on constant alert. Phil and other groundhogs that are used for Groundhog Day activities should be put back into the wild or in an animal sanctuary.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have suggested that an electromechanical device similar to animatronic animals should replace Punxsutawney Phil. The device is popular among performances and theme parks. If this device is used on Groundhog Day, it would mesmerize the crowd of curious spectators in Punxsutawney and around the country.
Punxsutawney Phil is a wild animal and should be allowed to remain free. Groundhogs should not be forced to live as pets to uphold a tradition that is purely symbolic.
NO
Nicholas Bruno
The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is protesting the use of a real groundhog for Groundhog Day festivities, arguing that subjecting Punxsutawney Phil to large crowds and bright lights is cruel to him.
But this view ignores the conditions that Phil lives in everyday. According to a Jan. 27 story by The Associated Press, William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, said the animal is “being treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania.” Phil lives in a climate-controlled environment and is inspected yearly by the State Department of Agriculture.
In November, PETA asked the University of Georgia to replace the recently deceased Uga VII, the school’s bulldog mascot, with an animatronic version, and is now making the same request to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. They want a robotic Phil.
The money needed to construct this Phil of the future could be put to better use through other organizations such as the Humane Society to protect vulnerable wild animals instead of releasing one into a dangerous and unfamiliar environment.
Punxsutawney Phil is not being treated cruelly. He is living a safe and glamorous life away from the perils of motorists and hunters.
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