Punxsutawney Phil becomes first-time dad at ‘138’ — something no one predicted
Now here’s something that doesn’t happen every day.
Groundhog Day visionary Punxsutawney Phil has become a dad for the first time, it was revealed Wednesday — something no one ever predicted.
Just one month after he predicted spring was on its way, Phil and his mate, Phyllis, became the proud parents of two new bouncing baby groundhogs, the Groundhog Inner Circle Club announced Wednesday.
It makes Phil a first-time dad at 138, at least according to club folklore – with the new arrivals a total surprise, club president Tom Dunkel told CBS News.
“When we went in to feed them their fresh fruits and vegetables, we found Phyllis with two little baby groundhogs. It was very unexpected, we had no idea that she was pregnant,” Dunkel explained.
The group is “stoked,” he said — no one more so than Phil himself.
“He’s beside himself. He’s 138 years old and never had a child so he picked late in life to start a family,” Dunkel told CBS.
As the groundhog club’s president, Dunkel is the possessor of an ancient acacia wood cane that supposedly allows him to communicate with Phil in Groundhogese.
Phil and Phyllis are still working on naming their babies, he added — without predicting what they might be.
“He says as soon as they figure that out he will let us know and then we will let the world know,” Dunkel said.
“It’s fun and it’s such good news and fun news in times when we are getting a lot of bad news so we are happy that this is unfolding for Phil and Phyllis,”
As for whether the new babies will have to live in their famous father’s shadow, Dunkel confirmed that they will not be slated to inherit his Groundhog Day role.
Phil has been predicting the transition from winter to spring for over 130 years, according to Inner Circle club legend.
The job cannot be passed on, Dunkel explained to CBS – which is why Phil gets treated every summer to an “elixir life” that adds seven years to his lifespan.
Phyllis, however, does not get a sip.