PETA tries to replace national icon with a robot
By Luke Starke

People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently decided to try to replace the nationally known groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, with an animal-tronic, robotic, groundhog. This is a ludicrous idea. Thousands of people flock to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, in order to see if Phil sees his shadow. This tradition, which dates back to 1886, has become an integral part of this town. If this cute and lovable mammal is replaced by an robotic “copy”, tourists are not going to migrate to the town just to see man-made technology.

If this does pass and the living Phil is replaced by an iPhil, it would be able to look up weather patterns and make a very accurate prediction. This would remove the element of nature; a living groundhog can makes it’s own decisions. While a robot would do it’s best to make the best weather forecast

PETA has also claimed that the once-a-year event causes unnecessary stress for the poor animal.  This is another statement that is beyond ridiculous; this animal only goes outside for five minutes out of a year, and when the furry critter does make it’s annual appearance it does not have to do anything overly strenuous. It just has to look down and react to it’s own shadow, and if the day is overcast it does not have to do anything.

Though, what PETA does not consider is what will happen to Phil after it is retired. It would be inhumane to let it back into the wild after living in an environment where it relies on humans for all it’s life; it would surely perish if it is to survive on it’s own. So the only other option is to continue taking care of Phil. PETA also complain that Phil is on display year round at the local library, and this is a cruel way for it to live. There is already something similar to this that is accepted by all. Its called a zoo.