BABYLON, N.Y. (1010 WINS) – With Groundhog Day on Sunday, animal rights advocates are touting a new human mascot as they urge officials to retire one of Long Island's most famous groundhogs, Malverne Mel.
The effort to drop Mel comes amid a nationwide push to replace real groundhogs with alternatives at annual Groundhog Day ceremonies held on Feb. 2.
The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent a letter last week to the organizers of America’s largest Groundhog Day event in Pennsylvania, urging them to retire Punxsutawney Phil and replace him with a vegan “weather reveal” cake.
PETA has also set its sights on Long Island, teaming up with Humane Long Island to urge the village of Malverne to "chuck the out-of-touch 'tradition'" and replace Mel with a costumed character.
Last year, the village of Bablyon introduced the island’s first animal-free Groundhog Day bash with Babylon Belle, a human dressed as a groundhog. The village received a “Compassionate Government” award from PETA for its efforts.
PETA and Humane Long Island wrote Malverne Mayor Timothy Sullivan earlier this month, urging him to retire Mel for a similar human mascot. They also slapped ads on 10 local buses that share the same sentiment.
In response, Sullivan reportedly agreed to meet with PETA and Humane Long Island but also indicated the village has no plans to retire Mel, which he described as a cherished tradition that has the village collaboration with an animal rescue group, the STAR Foundation.
“Our intention is to still have a living groundhog,” Sullivan told Newsday.
John Di Leonardo, the president and executive director of Humane Long Island, said groundhogs are intelligent and self-aware but cannot predict the weather. And as a solitary prey species, they're not a fan of parties.
“Groundhogs are shy animals who would never choose to be exposed to human handling or noisy crowds,” he said.
Di Leonardo pointed to a Groundhog Day event last year in which Mel attempted a “grand escape” at the annual ceremony and had to be chased by handlers.
“He actually ran out of his pen and ran down the block and had to be grabbed and brought back to this scary crowd,” Di Leonardo said.
Di Leonardo has also urged the Town of Brookhaven to retire the island's other famous groundhog, Holtsville Hal.
“This is not something we want to see on Long Island,” Di Leonardo said.