Animal rights group: Replace Punxsutawney Phil with robot
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — An animal rights group wants organizers of Pennsylvania’s Groundhog Day festival to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a robotic stand-in.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says it’s unfair to keep the animal in captivity and subject him to the huge crowds and bright lights that accompany tens of thousands of revelers each Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, a tiny borough about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. PETA is suggesting the use of an animatronic model.
But William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, says the animal is “being treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania.” The groundhog is kept in a climate-controlled environment and is inspected annually by the state Department of Agriculture.
Mr. Deeley says PETA isn’t interested in Phil from Feb. 2 on, and is looking for publicity.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10027/1031375-100.stm?cmpid=MOSTEMAILEDBOX#ixzz0dy2kX0rW
Here’s the issue from PETA on their blog, plus the letter they sent to the Groundhog’s handlers here
Excerpt:
“The popularity of using technologically advanced electromechanical devices such as animatronic animals instead of live animals is rising. Performances such as “Walking With Dinosaurs, the Live Experience”—a theatrical show in which animatronic dinosaurs roar, stomp, and chase each other around an arena—have been taking audiences by storm. Other popular exhibitions have featured robotic penguins and dolphins who swim and communicate just like real animals do, and we think that an animatronic groundhog would similarly mesmerize a crowd full of curious spectators in Punxsutawney.”
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Well, I can see this coming. Punxsutawney has told PETA to bugger off, and now PETA will show up next Tuesday and make some sort of idiotic protest to get news media attention.
In other news, I hear Phil Jones may soon be available. If he saw his shadow it would be six more months of avoiding FOI requests.
” “The popularity of using technologically advanced electromechanical devices such as animatronic animals instead of live animals is rising. Performances such as “Walking With Dinosaurs, the Live Experience”—a theatrical show in which animatronic dinosaurs roar, stomp, and chase each other around an arena—have been taking audiences by storm.”
This is just laughable! The reason the dinosaurs are anamatronics is due to them being extinct!
If they were still with us, I’d know whom to feed them..
This reminds me of a study recently in NZ – Victoria University in Wellington I believe, that supposedly demonstrated that an SUV had a smaller carbon footprint than a dog.
I think at that point a lot of Kiwis started seeing the light…
Phil’s not looking happy at all!
I don’t think he likes the idea of PETA sending him back to a cold hole in the snow! Told ya Phil, they want to take all of our rights and comforts away. He just sharpens his teeth!
“The popularity of using technologically advanced electromechanical devices such as animatronic animals instead of live animals is rising. Performances such as “Walking With Dinosaurs, … chasing each other round the arena.
It’d be much more fun to have real dinosaurs chase PETA members round the arena of course…
Anton
I looked at Punxsy Phil and he’s a happy animal. It looks like the PETA are so blinded by their beliefs that they cannot see this crucial piece of evidence.
Always look at the evidence. And IMO if anything gives us the right to consider ourselves superior, it is if one is willing to look at the evidence and change one’s mind, because the evidence says otherwise than one’s preconceptions. Willingness to admit being mistaken, even mistaken about being superior. Willingness to stand one’s ground and stay true to the evidence, even when outnumbered.
For all you out-of-state people, here’s some info. I strongly suspect this is related to the Pennsylvania Lottery using a “spokesanimal,” namely “Gus, the second-most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania.” A cute animatronic creation, while performing his duties of promoting lottery sales, mostly the instant-win “scratcher” tickets (a groundhog scratching, ha-ha, so funny), for years he has talked and sung, even rapped. Why for Christmas, he was all bundled up with his hat and scarf as he stopped by to see his extended family, at a normal-sized house with regular furniture where the nicely-dressed relatives were busy trimming their large Christmas tree. (Psst, his family isn’t making a big issue about his working nude for the cameras, so don’t worry about it.)
This has undoubtedly led to some sensitive types thinking of how much groundhogs are just like us. Plus they are as intelligent as humans, obviously. And when you look at all the suffering and manhandling poor Phil has to go through compared to Gus, why, it’s just not fair!
The somewhat more aware ones realize Gus is of course not real, a puppet, the makers of the commercials can make him do basically anything they want. But, well, you have to admit, he is so lifelike!
And now, voila, why not replace the suffering Phil with an animatronic groundhog? It’ll all look the same! Just look how real Gus is!
Because we use robotic dinos. Oh, dear lord…
But I guess it _would_ have to be explained to a group of morons like PETA that we use robotic dinosaurs not because we wish to _merely perceive_ ourselves as kinder to them, but rather because aren’t any living ones anymore.
And just what IS the point of using a robotic groundhog? By design, it will either “see” it’s shadow or it won’t, 100% of the time. Oh wait, I see… we can reverse global warming this way, right? 🙂
kadaka (00:38:45) : “And now, voila, why not replace the suffering Phil with an animatronic groundhog?”
But can we make the robot “suffer” just like the real one? I don’t want to get out of touch with my “vicious humanity” that gets a kick out of being mean to animals. And too, without suffering animals like the real poor ol’ Phil, there is no more use for PETA!
What ever would we do after that?! 🙂
Anton
As someone who works in the pharma business and understands the value of animal research (when done properly) I can’t agree with your stance on that. But I do agree that just because we don’t think CAGW is real doesn’t make us rabid fundamentalist neo-con members of the NRA, and people posting on this site shouldn’t assume that we all think the same way about other political and environmental issues.
My politics are rather left wing, and that’s UK left wing, not Obama style left-wing lite. I find it hard to fit in with this community of anti-immigration, flat-taxing UKIP voters just because I care more about scientific rigour than ideology.
We really need alot more of these PETA-type morons to go hug polar bears (like the crazy lady in the German zoo), lions, tigers etc. Or go up to Alaska and play with the cuddly brown bears like “Grizzly Man” did…and get eaten like he did. It would make life so much easier for those of us with some semblance of sanity.
@ur momisugly Anton: Shut up man, you’re so transparent. Why do you people always have to start screaming “Right Wing!” at anything you disagree with? It’s such a meaningless, stock response. AGW scepticism: Right Wing! Meat eater: Right Wing! Intolerance: Right Wing! Non-belief in animals havin a soul: Right Wing!
Sounds like the only person politicising anything round here is YOU.
But Punxsutawney Phil is a sentient being!
PETA are just jealous.
As a kid growing up in Iowa, I never understood why the Groundhog day question even came up. “Will we have 6 more weeks of winter?” Well–yeah. Feb. is just starting; winter will last 6 more weeks. DUH!!
The funny thing about PETA and all who oppose animal testing, if they or one of their loved ones get badly ill they would sacrifice as many animals to live vivisections in a heartbeat if it showed a cure as it needed. The fact is humans (except the PETA like sub species) as is correct in nature, are near the top of the food chain in our normal habitat, even if, as has been correctly stated, we cannot cope with an angry badger. Are PETA pissed because they did not get on the warming bandwagon before the wheels fell off and now cannot dictate behavior to the northern half of humanity?
tallbloke (00:36:34) :
“….It’d be much more fun to have real dinosaurs chase PETA members round the arena of course…
Perhaps we could substitute hungry polar bears for the dinosaurs and hold the events in the Roman Coliseum. Should we start with Al Gore as the star attraction?
Having live animals in captivity, available up close so that people can see them and even touch them, does more for raising awareness and sympathy and the reality of animals than any other consciousness raising effort that can be imagined. Is it a crime to have a few animals live in relative luxury to serve as the ambassadors to humans when the likely outcome of it is to save their entire species? Do PETA members imagine that the situation is similar to episodes of StarTrek where humans are held as captives for advanced aliens to learn from? The difference is that humans can make the kinds of decisions where they voluntarily send and ambassador. Animals cannot make those kinds of decisions themselves. They brains are not built for it. Go ask one. Fortunately, you can still go to a zoo to do that.
The ethical treatment of animals is a nice idea. Too bad PETA is so extreme they can’t see that the removal of all contact between humans and animals would result in the eventual extinction of animals. Just like the end of eating meat and eggs would mean the extinction of all farm animals otherwise, who would keep them?
Phil the Robot? My younger brother had that robot, I believe. There was a hatch on the chest, and after four or five steps, the hatch opened, displaying two ray guns. The guns flashed red, and the robot made an annoying noise. The hatch then closed, and the cycle repeated itself. My brother’s name for the beast: Murgatroyd.
Sorry. Sometimes it’s nice to write about something other than climate data.
Please send your naked PETinA cage to protest this outrage. And no – sending the animatronic version is not an acceptable substitute. We need to appreciate real sacrifice to really get the message.
Don’t forget the other PETA: People Eating Tasty Animals.
Website here: http://www.tastyanimals.us/
I don’t oppose animal testing, because I think it necessary. But the appearance of a ground hog for the Ground Hog Day celebrations isn’t necessary.
If it wasn’t for Ground Hog Day, most people wouldn’t even know what a ground hog is.
DECISIONS DECISIONS
So, what, the choice is between a real groundhog and Bill Murray?
….hold, on. I’m thinking.
I’ve had pet woodchucks all of my life.
Phil’s fine and couldn’t be happier.
If he wasn’t, he would let you know about it. LOL
No, no, no! Getting rid of Phil for an animatronic would be a big mistake. Groundhog Day brings in a lot of money for Punxy–the whole town is just one big party all day long. As a PA native, I can’t imagine February 2 without it. Here’s a little history:
Groundhog Day comes from the old Teutonic Candlemas Day, and before that, it was the first day of spring (Imbolc, dedicated to Brighid) in the old Celtic calendar. In Scandianvia, a festival was held on 2 February every year to mark the time when the bear would come out of hibernation to signal the end of winter. Even the Romans celebrated it. February 2 is close to the cross-quarter day between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, and in China and Babylonia it was considered the first day of the New Year. There are a lot of rhymes from all over that show just how common a tradition it was:
American:
If the sun shines on Groundhog Day;
Half the fuel and half the hay.
German:
For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until May.
For as the snow blows on Candlemas Day,
So far will the sun shine before May.
Scots:
If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There’ll be two winters in the year.
Old English:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.
The Scandinavians used a bear. The Germans used a badger. Other cultures used hedgehogs–really, any hibernating animal would do. When settlers came to America in the 1700’s, bringing the tradition with them, they substituted a groundhog. I don’t know why–there are lots of badgers around here, even if they’re meaner than raccoons. (Although dragging a hibernating bear out of its den wouldn’t be something I’d like to do.)
These PETA people are nuts. They’re trying to take a tradition that’s a couple of thousand years old and ruin it, just like they do everything else. Phil doesn’t mind–I drag my kids out of bed every morning and they get over it in less than 5 minutes.
I belong to PETA.
People Eating Tasty Animals.