Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro Slams PETA Over Petition to Replace Punxsutawney Phil With a Cake

The famous rodent is the star of the annual Groundhog Day event held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Friday slammed animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) over its petition to replace Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog, with a cake.

The famous rodent is the star of the annual Groundhog Day event held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Superstition about the event claims Punxsutawney Phil can predict the early arrival of spring if he does not see his own shadow when emerging from his burrow.

PETA last week issued a statement, however, calling on Punxsutawney Groundhog Club President Tom Dunkel to do away with the groundhog, arguing his life is “no piece of cake.”

“Retire Phil to a reputable sanctuary with his family, and every year we’ll provide a giant vegan ‘Weather Reveal’ cake (it would be the first in the world this year) to share with revelers at Gobbler’s Knob,” the group wrote. “If the inside of the cake is blue, there will be six more weeks of winter. If it’s pink, there will be an early spring. This would allow you to still make tourism dough while showing Phil a slice of decency.”

The proposed "Weather Reveal" cake is a similar concept to that of gender reveal cakes, which expecting parents use to reveal the gender of their baby.

READ MORE | PETA asks school photo companies to retire 'say cheese,' use 'nutritional yeast' instead

“If you don’t like this idea, the icing on the cake is that we have another offer,” PETA continued. “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.”

Gov. Shapiro responded to the offer via X with a challenge to PETA.

Reacting to the challenge was Independent Women’s Forum Center for Energy and Conservation Director Gabriella Hoffman.

“I agree with Governor Shapiro on something,” she wrote. “PETA is terrible.”

PETA in 2024 also called to replace Phil with a giant coin. Additionally, the group in 2022 advocated to swap the groundhog for persimmon seeds.

Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.