There will be no spring! Famous groundhog dies in Canada

Every year in the Canadian city of Wiarton, Groundhog Day is celebrated - Wiarton Willie Festival. In North America, observing the predictor animal is a long tradition. If on February 2 he sees his shadow after coming out of hibernation, then there is still a month and a half of winter weather ahead. If not, it will be early spring. Local forecaster Willie is a world star: he is considered to be the most accurate of all his brothers in forecasts, since Wiarton is located on the 45th parallel - exactly halfway between the equator and the north pole. Locals claim that he guesses the weather 90% of the time. In fairness, scientists are skeptical of Willy's abilities, estimating the accuracy of his forecasts at only 25%.

The very first fortune teller in Wiarton, the albino Willy, died back in 1999. Since then, the post of meteorologist has been occupied by his followers from albino marmots. Last year, fans of the festival were in for a shock: it turned out that the “acting” Willy VI died in 2020, but the city authorities hid this fact from residents for a long time. The Guardian writes about it.

In a break from tradition, Willy didn't show up for Groundhog Day 2021. The festival was broadcast online due to the pandemic, and the mayor's office issued a mocking press release to the questions of the townspeople: “Are you asking if Willy is alive or dead? Why not ask the same about the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus?” However, a few months later, officials nevertheless admitted to the press that the beloved rodent had died of a tooth abscess.

Premature death of predictor groundhogs is not uncommon in the world: for example, in 2014, the then mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, dropped the local groundhog Chuck, and he soon died from injuries to internal organs. However, in Wiarton, as it turned out, hiding the deaths of rodents became a habit with the authorities. The very first, original, Willie lived to be 22 and died just two days before Groundhog Day in 1999. At the festival, the animal appeared in a coffin - to the horror of the children, he lay there in a tuxedo, with coins over his eyes and a carrot between his paws. Subsequently, it turned out that it was not Willy, but an impostor: by that time the real fortuneteller had already decomposed and smelled strongly, so an old stuffed groundhog was placed in his coffin instead. The Associated Press, which wrote a note about Willy's funeral, was forced to publish a retraction.

Four years later, two stand-in groundhogs kept at Wiarton in case of excesses with IO Willy were found dead. There were rumors that the soothsayer himself was directly involved in the deaths. His caretaker did not immediately inform the townspeople about the incident, fearing that the news would cause a negative reaction.

The fact is that all Willies are albinos, so it is not easy to quickly find a replacement for them. So, when the next Willy died in November 2020, it was not possible to find a new one by February 2021. At that time, instead of the animal, the mayor of the city made a prediction. In 2022, Groundhog Day in Wiarton will again be held in a virtual format, and the forecast for spring will be an ordinary brown groundhog.