Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend celebrated their first GroundHog day with their own groundhog - Potawatomi Poppy.
The young groundhog has seen her shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. Just like Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania.
The zoo’s Executive Director Josh Sisk announced the prediction. He hopes this will become an annual tradition with the zoo.
“Being from Indiana, I'm guessing it's gonna be a lot longer than that, but we'll go with what she says,” Sisk said.
This was Poppy’s first winter. She was originally taken in by the zoo as part of its ambassador program after she was deemed too friendly for the wild.
Groundhogs like to burrow themselves in the ground and hibernate in the winter.
Sisk suggested the tradition derives from the animal’s natural hibernatory habits.
If they see their shadow, they get scared and burrow back into the ground, meaning six more weeks of winter.
Whereas if they don’t and go outside and walk around, it means an early spring.
