By John Di Leonardo
“Groundhog Day” is a regional tradition in North America in which a large rodent, also known as a woodchuck, and make-shift “burrow” is hauled in front of a large crowd on February 2nd of each year. Ostensibly, according to tradition, if the groundhog emerges from their burrow on this day and sees their shadow, they will retreat to their den and winter will go on for six more weeks; if they do not see their shadow, Spring will arrive early. Unfortunately for us—and the groundhogs—groundhogs are not meteorologists and like most wild animals are shy in front of large crowds. When given the choice, groundhogs are solitary animals who even only socialize with other groundhogs to choose a partner.
To see why groundhogs should be allowed to be groundhogs and do what groundhogs do—which at this time of the year is sleep—we need look no further than Staten Island Chuck who bit Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his stand-in, Charlotte, who passed away a week after being dropped by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Even Malverne Mel—a groundhog exploited for my hometown’s tradition—attempted to escape this year’s ceremony in Malverne after being frightened by a dog.
Thankfully, this cruel tradition may soon be coming to an end. This Groundhog Day, I attended Long Island’s first groundhog-free Groundhog Day, where a willing human performer played the part of Babylon Belle. In the words of Babylon Village Mayor Mary Adams, “Babylon Belle is not just your average groundhog. She’s protecting our wildlife too. And we’re keeping safe and happy all our outdoor friends including groundhogs from being upset and stressed and having the early morning blues!”
Whether it’s replacing a live groundhog with a person in a mascot costume or replacing dairy products such as ghee—which is stolen from grieving mother cows—for lighting diyas in Jain ceremonies with vegan alternatives as my colleague Nirva Patel wrote last month, tradition is no excuse for cruelty. When we know better, we must do better. For this week’s Anuvrat, I invite readers to examine their own traditions through the lens of Ahimsa and remember that as times change, traditions can (and often should) evolve.
John Di Leonardo is the founding director of Humane Long Island. He was previously the Senior Manager of Grassroots Campaigns and Animals in Entertainment Campaigns for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). He has a Master’s degree in Anthrozoology from Canisius College. He also earned a graduate certificate in Jain Studies from the International School of Jain Studies (ISJS) in India. John can be reached at [email protected].
