Groundhog Day is nearly here, but there’s one local spot that won’t be celebrating the Feb. 2 holiday.
Officials at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn say getting the groundhog out to check their shadow for the spring forecast can actually be detrimental, as they’re being awakened from hibernation prematurely.
“So what happens when they’re waking up is now we have a decreased body temperature. And so now that body temperature has to increase. Now their metabolism needs to kick in and speed up, their, their blood flow is going to start to increase. To have the quick blood flow increasing right away can be dangerous on some of the organs,” said Willowbrook Wildlife Center wildlife interpreter Nate Hambel.
An early wake from hibernation can be detrimental to groundhogs
Typically, Hambel says, it’s a slower process that can take days.
“So having an animal wake up too soon not only can be stressful on their on their organs, but it can also mean that they don’t have the same resources that they would have if they were able to make it through the entire winter. So there’s less foods for them to eat,” Hambel said.
The full hibernation period goes from October to late February or longer, depending on the winter and region.
Wildlife officials says let groundhogs sleep through Groundhog Day
Though the wildlife center doesn’t currently have a groundhog on site, from 2000 to 2023 they cared for more than 330. During that time, they would let them sleep through Groundhog Day, keeping them cozy in a den and checking on their health.
“We would cover with natural materials as well as straw and blankets and other things that can insulate and provide some, you know…insulation for them to hold and even whatever little bit of heat that he might be producing,” said Hambel.
Their last groundhog, dubbed Woodford Charles III, died last March after nine years at the center. But workers there are still happy to educate the public about the nature of the groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, especially when Groundhog Day rolls around.
“We would highlight this animal and celebrate the animal, not so much the day. So that what we would do is we would talk about woodchucks, the dangers of going into hibernation, the dangers of waking our emerging early from hibernation and just kind of teach people about their natural history,” said Hambel.
Groundhog prediction not all that practical, officials say
As for the power of that groundhog prediction, well, Hambel says it’s a bit of hogwash.
“Winter is winter until the spring equinox until March 21, generally. So relying on an old fable to try and predict whether or not we’re going to have cold weather or a milder winter, I think, is kind of setting ourselves up for a lack of success,” said Hambel.
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