Village of Babylon Mayor Mary Adams kicked off Long Island’s 1st annual animal-free Groundhog Day celebration this morning with the unveiling of “Babylon Belle”, a human-sized “Groundhog” complete with bows in her hair and a tutu, predicting an early Spring. Humane Long Island was on hand to applaud the village’s progressive, cruelty-free new tradition! 

“To see why groundhogs should be allowed to be groundhogs and do what groundhogs do, which at this time of the year is sleep, we eed look no further than Staten Island Chuck who bit Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his stand-in, Charlotte, who passed away a week after being dropped by Mayor Bill de Blasioor Malverne Mel who attempted to escape this morning’s ceremony in Malverne,” said John Di Leonardo, anthrozoologist and executive director of Humane Long Islandand a speaker at Babylon’s Groundhog Day celebration. “I am thrilled to join Mayor Mary Adams and all of the animal lovers on the Village Board to help usher in a new, one-of-a-kind tradition in which Babylon Belle is a willing performer who can go home at the end of the day and retire when she wisheswhile her friends, the wild groundhogs, can sleep in to their heart’s desire.

“Babylon Belle is not just your average groundhog, she’s protecting our wildlife too and we’re keeping safe and happy all our outdoor friends including groundhogs from being upset and stressed and having the early morning blues,” said Babylon Village Mayor Mary Adams.
Humane Long Island notes that groundhogs are not meteorologists, and like most wild animals are shy in front of large crowds. When given the choice, groundhogs are solitary animals who only socialize with other groundhogs to choose a partner. They are skilled swimmers and climbers and create complex, multi-chamber burrows that even have separate bathrooms.