The Queen of Staten Island
Chuck the groundhog
This morning, at New York’s Staten Island Zoo, Chuck the groundhog emerged from a dwelling and was greeted with no shadow, meaning that the greater metro area can look forward to an early spring.
Just In: #StatenIslandChuck did not see his shadow = early spring! @StatenIslandZoo
— @NY1
All of this sounded like business as usual, but one factoid in the background information really stood out to me. According to the New York Times, “Chuck boasts an 80 percent success rate, according to the Staten Island Zoo. Phil, by comparison, is right only 39 percent of the time.”
Now I’m not a mathematician, but 80% strikes me as… 30% more accurate than you’d expect in a scenario with 50/50 odds*. 49% accuracy, sure. 54%—why not? But at 80% this ‘hog sounds gifted.
I did a great deal of looking into the particulars of Staten Island Chuck to see if there were any things about him that made him stand out from his peers, and… here is a recent history of New York’s Groundhog Day Groundhog:
Previous Chucks lived for drama.
During 2009’s ceremony, mayor-at-the-time Michael Bloomberg got his stylish leather glove bitten by Chuck:
And in 2014, mayor Bill DeBlasio had Chuck leap out of his arms as he was giving him back to a handler:
Happy Groundhog's Day! Hope Mayor DeBlasio doesn't murder another groundhog today! https://t.co/GGXHv0qkxr
That groundhog died days later, though there’s never been official confirmation that it was due to injuries obtained during the fall. Completely unrelatedly, current Chucks do their readings from inside a roomy glass enclosure that they enter and exit using a tiny elevator called a Chuck-a-vator.
Bill DeBlasio decided to sit the event out this year.
Probably equally because the world is ending and he’s up for re-election, New York City’s mayor opted to let Chuck do the reading solo today (for the second year running). No picture with a groundhog is better than another picture of you dropping a groundhog.
Our current Chuck is genderqueer and came here to make friends.
“This Chuck (full name: Charles G. Hogg VII) is actually female,” says the Times. She’s four years old, 8.5 pounds, and because of previous snafus, she’s also apparently gone through some social training that her predecessors did not. “In preparation for today, Ms. Chuck spent months training and socializing with zoo caretakers to ensure an elegant public appearance… and a confident, correct, shadow-or-no-shadow verdict.” So in a way, this morning’s event was like watching a young starlet do her debut interview on The Tonight Show after her first big role. Iconic.
In addition to not biting, Chuck’s skills include a high-five, which according to her trainer “is also really good as a medical move because you can then clip her nails.” As an addendum, they add, “(She does not, however, take baths or get her teeth cleaned.)” Stars! They’re just like us!
Does any of this explain Chuck’s above-average accuracy? Not that I can tell. But clearly New York’s Groundhog Day program is… exceptional. What choice do our rodents have but to follow suit?
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*And also 39% Phil? Loosen up, it’s just a game.