PETA calls for Punxsutawney Phil to be replaced by a hologram

While meteorologists and the vast (vast) majority of the general public don't view the rodent as the most accurate predictor of the staying power of winter, PETA argues that using a live groundhog for the annual February event is cruel.

The group, in a letter to Punxsutawney Groundhog Club president Tom Dunkel, offered to provide a "state of the art" 3D projection of Phil if the groundhog and his family were allowed to retire to an animal 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,” says PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk in a statement.

PETA has long been opposed to the practice of using live animals for Groundhog Day, saying the creatures generally fear humans and loud noises and subjecting Phil to the carnival-like environment of the annual prediction is inhumane.

PETA's not stopping with Punxsutawney Phil. The group is also lobbying Woodstock, Ill. to stop using Woodstock Willie to predict the weather. While it didn't offer to pay for his replacement, the group did have suggestions.

"PETA suggests replacing Woodstock Willie with a 3D holographic projection, his existing costumed human counterpart, a stuffed toy, or even an AI-powered robot groundhog that could deliver an actual forecast," it wrote.

Punxsutawney Phil, if you're curious, has only accurately predicted future weather 35% of the years he has been looking for his shadow. If you want a really accurate prognosticating groundhog, head to New York, where Staten Island Chuck has been right 85% of the years he has been forecasting, says NOAA.