In a recent proposal, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reached out to Tom Dunkel, the President of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, suggesting a cutting-edge 3D projection to replace the live groundhog at Gobbler’s Knob. PETA’s offer comes with the condition that the real Phil and his family be retired to a well-regarded sanctuary.

PETA asserts that this innovative projection could also provide weather forecasts for the local community.

“With holographic technology bringing virtual pop stars to concert stages and resurrected celebrities to conventions, why not use it to allow the real Phil to enjoy his hibernation?” stated Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA.

PETA is advocating for the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club to abandon their outdated tradition of disturbing a timid animal, suggesting they modernize Gobbler’s Knob with a futuristic weather-predicting hologram.

The organization also unveiled an artistic depiction of what a holographic version of Punxsutawney Phil might look like. (PETA)

PETA noted that, when given the chance, naturally shy groundhogs avoid humans and enjoy burrowing, exploring and hibernating.

They said these simple pleasures are made “impossible” for Phil to appreciate, given the small enclosure he is kept in year-round.

Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil is held up after being pulled out of his burrow on Groundhog Day Feb. 2, 2025. (PCNTV)

“This update would be sure to captivate crowds, and let’s face it: Phil looks better standing tall and composed in light beams than squirming in a handler’s hands in captivity,” Newkirk wrote in the letter. “They dislike human smells, fear loud noises, abhor gatherings and prefer to stay in their burrows. Yet every year, this terrified little animal is subjected to loud announcers and noisy crowds and held up and waved around without any regard for his feelings, welfare, or instincts.”

She went on to call the annual event “archaic,” claiming it “exploits a wild animal.”

Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil emerges on Groundhog Day Feb. 2, 2025.  (PCNTV)

“It’s unimaginative and ignores the obvious: Phil feels fear and discomfort just as humans do, and he’s not a willing participant in this annual spectacle,” Newkirk wrote. “And with the hologram, the town could still make a buck out of Chuck.”

PETA, whose motto is, in part, “animals are not ours to use for entertainment,” is offering free “Empathy Kits” for those who “need a lesson in kindness,” according to organizers.