Report: PETA suggests Punxsutawney Phil be replaced with giant coin for annual prediction

Punxsutawney Phil’s days as a seasonal weather predictor may be numbered as People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is hoping to take the groundhog out of Groundhog’s Day, People.com is reporting.

The animal rights organization reached out to The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, requesting that the group retire Phil in favor of a giant coin, the report said.

“He is not a meteorologist, and he deserves better than to be exploited every year for tourism money,” PETA wrote in a letter, posted on its website about the groundhog.

The group has sought several times for Phil to be replaced during the beloved annual event, which is celebrated every Feb. 2, the report said.

Several years ago, PETA suggested that Phil be replaced by an animatronic groundhog that would use artificial intelligence to make its prediction, the report said.