Punxsutawney Phil becomes a father as he welcomes two newborn groundhogs

Punxsutawney Phil is a new father as he welcomes two newborn groundhogs with his partner Phyllis.

On 27 March, the famous groundhog’s Facebook page announced that he and his wife Phyllis recently welcomed two new additions to their family. In the post, they wrote, “We have Babies!! The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club is very excited to announce that Phil and Phyllis have given birth to two healthy baby Groundhogs!”

They shared photos of the adorable baby groundhogs with their mom and dad. A video of the newborns shows the healthy little ones wriggling with each other.

Fans of Punxsutawney Phil can visit the growing family at the Punxsutawney Memorial Library, where they will be on display in a climate-controlled enclosure. With the groundhogs now being a family of four, the club is planning on an expanded habitat for them at the library.

According to reports, the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle — the exclusive group that performs the famous Groundhog’s Day traditions in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania — Thomas Dunkel announced that the children are Phil and Phyllis’ first babies together.

Dunkel revealed to 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.”

Punxsutawney Phil is known worldwide for coming out each year on 2 February, determining whether the world will have a longer winter or an early spring. If Phil sees his shadow, it indicates that we will have six more weeks of winter. But if he doesn’t see his shadow, spring is right around the corner. This year, the groundhog didn’t see his shadow, and therefore predicted that we would have an early spring.

Despite welcoming two children, it seems as though they won’t be entering the family business. According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s website, they will not follow in his footsteps because “there has only been one Punxsutawney Phil,” and there will only ever be one.

“He has been making predictions since 1886! Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking the ‘elixir of life,’ a secret recipe,” the site says, despite groundhogs being known to only live six years in the wild. “Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic, and it magically gives him seven more years of life.”