While Fred the groundhog announced early spring in Val-d'Espoir, Quebec, we celebrated Groundhog Day with penguins in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
With no groundhog to carry on the tradition, the Milwaukee County Zoo put its penguins to work Friday.
February 2nd marks Groundhog Day. Superstition says that if the animal comes out of its burrow and sees its shadow, winter will be extended by six weeks. Otherwise it heralds an imminent spring.
For the second time since 2018, the zoo had to celebrate this day without its favorite animal. Unfortunately, Gordy the groundhog died shortly after announcing an extended winter in 2023, like his predecessor in 2017.
This year it was the penguins who were able to announce the arrival of spring to the many spectators who gather for this event every year. In fact, just like marmots, these birds didn't see their shadows when they emerged from their burrow last Friday.
“The zoo is a little limited by the animals that may or may not come out at this time of year; Many of them are in their winter habitats,” Alex Waier, curator of zoo birds, said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In 2018, the zoo had retained the services of its polar bears to replace Gordy's predecessor.