Milwaukee County Zoo's Nigerian dwarf goats take on 2025 Groundhog Day duties
Updated on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 2:51 p.m.:
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- At the Milwaukee County Zoo, 72 Nigerian dwarf goats determined spring is around the corner.
"No shadow, early spring!" Said one of the zoo staff members.
However, over in Pennsylvania - the famous Punxsutawney Phil has another opinion.
"There's a shadow up here, get ready for six more weeks of winter this year," announced in Pennsylvania.
Whether you believe the goats or the groundhog, you might be wondering how strange this tradition started.
According to the Britannica -- it turns out — in the Middle Ages, many believed that if animals interrupted their hibernation on this day and saw their shadow, there would be six more weeks of winter.
If not, it was a sign of early spring.
This time of year, it matters since the beginning of February falls roughly halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.
The ritual also has roots in pre-Christian traditions and was brought to America by German immigrants, where they used a badger instead of a groundhog.
Steve Hartman-Keiser is an associate professor of english at Marquette University. He says through the years; the holiday has become uniquely American.
"In choosing a different animal and just the way German Americans jumped into this a hundred years ago," said Hartman-Keiser. "Holding onto a German identity in the 20th when that immigrant identity is starting to fade away."
The first official Groundhog Day was celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, 135 years ago on Feb. 2, 1887.
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Milwaukee County Zoo has announced their Nigerian dwarf goats will handle the Groundhog Day weather prediction for 2025.
Before the zoo opens to the public Sunday, Feb. 2, the goats will run out into their yard to make their winter or early spring prediction. The zoo says according to the new tradition, if the goats see their shadows, Milwaukee can expect six more weeks of winter. If the goats don't see their shadows, we can look forward to an early spring.
After the 9 a.m. ceremony, the zoo will announce the prediction to the public via social media and on their website.
Last year, the zoo's Humboldt penguins handled Groundhog Day duties.
The zoo says the penguins are currently nesting and getting acclimated to their recently renovated Penguins of the Pacific Habitat which opened in December of 2024.