New Jersey’s best-known weather-forecasting groundhog appears to be gone for good, and attempts to replace him have run into serious trouble.
Milltown Mel, the borough’s long-time Groundhog Day mascot, died just days before the 2022 celebration. He was the third groundhog to carry the name, but plans to introduce a fourth have stalled after Gov. Phil Murphy vetoed a bill last week that would have eased restrictions on importing groundhogs into the state, according to the New York Times.
Murphy said he could not support an exemption to New Jersey’s ban on importing animals from states where rabies is widespread, citing public health concerns. While he noted that towns are not required to abandon Groundhog Day traditions altogether, he did not suggest an alternative way to continue the event.
Milltown, a central New Jersey community of about 7,000 residents, has been without a working “Mel” since state officials confiscated a baby groundhog — known as a “chuckling” — brought in from Tennessee by longtime handler Russell Einbinder. Authorities seized the animal over fears it could carry an unfamiliar strain of rabies.
Einbinder says finding a replacement has become nearly impossible. Groundhogs hibernate this time of year, breeding programs are disappearing, and capturing a wild animal isn’t an option. “You can’t just get one off the street,” he said. “You have to have one since birth.”
Assembly member Sterley Stanley, who sponsored the vetoed legislation, says he is still searching for a “creative solution” to revive a tradition that once attracted crowds of up to 1,000 people. Ideas such as borrowing a groundhog from a zoo have been discussed but have not worked out.
For now, Milltown’s Groundhog Palace remains empty, and the tuxedo-clad Milltown Wranglers who once escorted Mel each February 2 are left waiting. Organizers have not said whether they will hold a groundhog-free alternative this year, NJ.com reports.
