PETA: Leave Malverne Mel, Holtsville Hal out of Groundhog Day
Malverne Mel at last year's ceremony, where he didn't see his shadow. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Animal-welfare activists with PETA and a Long Island group are asking officials to halt their annual Groundhog Day events with Malverne Mel and Holtsville Hal.
PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, joined a letter written by Humane Long Island founder John Di Leonardo urging the Village of Malverne to retire the Feb. 2 event where Mel, a groundhog, is brought to the village for an annual prognostication of an early spring or six more weeks of winter.
Mel has been a tradition in the village for 29 years, brought on to compete with the famous Punxsutawney Phil, two states over. Holtsville Hal emerged three years later at the Brookhaven Wildlife and Ecology Center.
Despite the appeals, Malverne officials say there will be a live ceremony this year. Hal's prediction will be posted online, but there won't be a public gathering.
The activists said transporting the groundhogs and exposing them to crowds gathered for Groundhog Day causes stress to the animals outside their normal habitat. Groundhogs, or woodchucks, are native to Long Island but are usually hibernating through February, Di Leonardo said.
Di Leonardo also pointed to past groundhog mishaps, such as Staten Island Chuck biting New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2009 — and then five years later when Chuck's stand-in, Charlotte, was fatally fumbled by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Last year, Mel tried to escape his pen during the Malverne event but was scooped up by his handler.
"It’s time to chuck the tired tradition of using live animals as props at events that completely disregard the interests of wildlife and so thoroughly disrespect them," PETA president Ingrid Newkirk and Di Leonardo wrote in a letter to Malverne Mayor Timothy Sullivan. "As you may know, as a prey species, groundhogs are naturally shy, sensitive animals who actively avoid humans."
They urged officials to switch to a live costumed performer, as was done in the Village of Babylon, which will return "Babylon Belle" to the village's event to avoid using live animals.
Sullivan replied to the letter and said he plans to meet with Di Leonardo this week to try to work out an amicable solution.
"Our intention is to still have a live groundhog," Sullivan said in an interview Friday.
Sullivan also plans to visit Mel in his habitat at the Save The Animals Rescue, or STAR Foundation, in Middle Island, where Mel was first rescued from the wild as a parasite-infested pup with a possible head injury. The village makes a $700 donation to the foundation to host the event, Sullivan said.
"The STAR Foundation does everything right and the narrative being put together about the potential mistreatment of animals does not fit what we’re doing in the village," Sullivan said. "We’re educating the community about nature and animals in general and doing it in a fun way."
The STAR Foundation also hosts a library program in Quogue with the "groundhog Sam Champion," said Lori Ketcham, one of the foundation’s directors. She said the animals cannot be released to the wild and are only ever touched by their handler, who works with them every day. The foundation is licensed by New York State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to host educational animals.
The foundation is taking additional measures to protect Mel, including bringing a plastic glass pen to the ceremony, and would not allow dogs or a band playing nearby. Ketcham said the foundation planned to honor the agreement with the village but would not participate if it became a spectacle.
"This is one event a year for education and we don’t let anyone handle him. They don’t understand animals like we do. We work with animals so they feel comfortable," Ketcham said. "I don’t know why they're making a big deal out of one day of the year. We just feel a little bit beat up."
Di Leonardo said there was no way to make the groundhogs comfortable. He also asked the Town of Brookhaven to halt its program with Holtsville Hal.
But the groundhog is expected to make his forecast, albeit without crowds because of "a number of factors, including budgetary considerations, staffing since the holiday falls on a weekend, and adequate public safety during such a large scale event,” Kristen D’Andrea, a spokeswoman for the Brookhaven Highway Department, said in a statement.
Animal-welfare activists with PETA and a Long Island group are asking officials to halt their annual Groundhog Day events with Malverne Mel and Holtsville Hal.
PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, joined a letter written by Humane Long Island founder John Di Leonardo urging the Village of Malverne to retire the Feb. 2 event where Mel, a groundhog, is brought to the village for an annual prognostication of an early spring or six more weeks of winter.
Mel has been a tradition in the village for 29 years, brought on to compete with the famous Punxsutawney Phil, two states over. Holtsville Hal emerged three years later at the Brookhaven Wildlife and Ecology Center.
Despite the appeals, Malverne officials say there will be a live ceremony this year. Hal's prediction will be posted online, but there won't be a public gathering.
The activists said transporting the groundhogs and exposing them to crowds gathered for Groundhog Day causes stress to the animals outside their normal habitat. Groundhogs, or woodchucks, are native to Long Island but are usually hibernating through February, Di Leonardo said.
Problems in NYC cited
Di Leonardo also pointed to past groundhog mishaps, such as Staten Island Chuck biting New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2009 — and then five years later when Chuck's stand-in, Charlotte, was fatally fumbled by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Last year, Mel tried to escape his pen during the Malverne event but was scooped up by his handler.
"It’s time to chuck the tired tradition of using live animals as props at events that completely disregard the interests of wildlife and so thoroughly disrespect them," PETA president Ingrid Newkirk and Di Leonardo wrote in a letter to Malverne Mayor Timothy Sullivan. "As you may know, as a prey species, groundhogs are naturally shy, sensitive animals who actively avoid humans."
They urged officials to switch to a live costumed performer, as was done in the Village of Babylon, which will return "Babylon Belle" to the village's event to avoid using live animals.
Sullivan replied to the letter and said he plans to meet with Di Leonardo this week to try to work out an amicable solution.
"Our intention is to still have a live groundhog," Sullivan said in an interview Friday.
Sullivan also plans to visit Mel in his habitat at the Save The Animals Rescue, or STAR Foundation, in Middle Island, where Mel was first rescued from the wild as a parasite-infested pup with a possible head injury. The village makes a $700 donation to the foundation to host the event, Sullivan said.
"The STAR Foundation does everything right and the narrative being put together about the potential mistreatment of animals does not fit what we’re doing in the village," Sullivan said. "We’re educating the community about nature and animals in general and doing it in a fun way."
Educational aspect
The STAR Foundation also hosts a library program in Quogue with the "groundhog Sam Champion," said Lori Ketcham, one of the foundation’s directors. She said the animals cannot be released to the wild and are only ever touched by their handler, who works with them every day. The foundation is licensed by New York State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to host educational animals.
The foundation is taking additional measures to protect Mel, including bringing a plastic glass pen to the ceremony, and would not allow dogs or a band playing nearby. Ketcham said the foundation planned to honor the agreement with the village but would not participate if it became a spectacle.
"This is one event a year for education and we don’t let anyone handle him. They don’t understand animals like we do. We work with animals so they feel comfortable," Ketcham said. "I don’t know why they're making a big deal out of one day of the year. We just feel a little bit beat up."
Di Leonardo said there was no way to make the groundhogs comfortable. He also asked the Town of Brookhaven to halt its program with Holtsville Hal.
But the groundhog is expected to make his forecast, albeit without crowds because of "a number of factors, including budgetary considerations, staffing since the holiday falls on a weekend, and adequate public safety during such a large scale event,” Kristen D’Andrea, a spokeswoman for the Brookhaven Highway Department, said in a statement.
A shadow of controversy
Malverne Mel and Holtsville Hal have been fixtures at Long Island Groundhog Day ceremonies for more than two decades.
Animal-welfare activists are asking officials to halt the use of the animals at the ceremonies.
Officials indicate the ceremonies will go on with live groundhogs and defend the foundation that houses Mel.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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