Zoo’s New Groundhog, Wynter,
to Make Expert Weather Prediction

Groundhog Day

Wynter has made her 2010 prediction:
She did not see her shadow, so we can look forward to an early spring!

After a two-year absence, the Milwaukee County Zoo welcomes a new groundhog, Wynter, to take center stage in the annual weather prediction festivities on Groundhog Day, Tuesday, February 2 at 10:30 a.m. at the Zoo’s Northwestern Mutual Family Farm.

Wynter makes his prediction

Wynter is a 2-year-old female (her estimated birth date is April 2008), who arrived at the Zoo in October 2009 from the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, Ohio. A rehabilitated animal, Wynter was found orphaned on a roadside at approximately five weeks of age. At the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Wynter served as an educational animal for the museum’s hands-on learning activities offered for children.

The public is invited to join Wynter as she takes the spotlight and makes her prediction. The Zoo’s Director, Charles Wikenhauser, will host the Groundhog Day ceremony.

According to tradition, if it’s sunny and Wynter sees her shadow, she’ll return to her burrow for six more weeks of winter. If she does not see her shadow, we can expect an early spring.