Groundhogs Don’t Predict Our Weather – Replaced By Human “Babylon Belle”: PETA Gives Village Of Babylon NY Compassionate Government Award
Babylon, N.Y. — A “ Compassionate Government ” Award is on its way from PETA to the Village of Babylon after the town hosted a Groundhog Day event in which “Babylon Belle”—a human dressed in a groundhog costume with a cheerful tutu and hair bows—made a lighthearted appearance and predicted an early spring. According to the Village of Babylon’s Facebook page, Mayor Mary E. Adams described the decision as a move to protect wildlife from being “handled, scared, and afraid.”
Babylon Belle at the Groundhog Day event. Image Credit – Village of Babylon
Editor’s note: Readers may remember our Groundhog Day story, where it was discussed how Groundhog Day has been a long standing tradition, and it “…is best known among people whose ancestors spoke German, especially the Pennsylvania Dutch.”
According to the Staten Island Zoo, Staten Island Chuck has predicted the weather accurately 82% of the time, but PETA says that he, along with all the other groundhogs relied upon for weather predictions and celebrations, would be more comfortable letting someone else predict the weather while he hibernates in his house.
The Village of Babylon, on their Instagram page, said, “It was a Groundhog Day like no other as the Village of Babylon made history for being the first community to take a stand for protecting our wildlife!…
“As Mayor Mary stated “So Babylon Belle is not just your average groundhog, she’s protecting our wildlife too and we’re keeping safe and happy all our outdoor friends, including groundhogs, from being upset and stressed and having the early morning blues. ..
“For it is in Babylon Village where history is made, that our beautiful Babylon Belle type groundhog protects our wildlife animals from being handled, scared and afraid.”
John DiLeonardo, of LION, was on hand as well, handing out fliers and applauding the village’s choice to stand up for wildlife. Readers will remember his two interviews with us here and here.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world, and PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally. PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in laboratories, in the food industry, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment business. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of rodents, birds, and other animals who are often considered “pests” as well as cruelty to domesticated animals. PETA works through public education, investigative newsgathering and reporting, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.
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