New Jersey hedgehog Elsa dies days before Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day is becoming an endangered holiday in New Jersey, where Cape May officials said its weather forecasting hedgehog Elsa has died.

Cape May County Park & Zoo told NJ.com the groundhog, who for the past three years told southern New Jersey residents when spring is coming, will no longer be seeing her shadow.

“We lost her last week,” parks director Edward Runyon said, adding he was unsure if a replacement groundhog or hedgehog could be found by Sunday.

Milltown, N.J. canceled its Feb. 2 Groundhog Day festivities for the fifth straight year since Milltown Mel, its resident rodent, died two days before showtime in 2022. The town has been unable to import a replacement due to New Jersey laws meant to stop the spread of rabies, according to Milltown Mel’s Facebook page.

“Hopefully the necessary legislation will be done in time for us to resume Groundhog Day next year,” wranglers said last week.

While Milltown Mel may have been up for the job in 2021, COVID-19 lockdowns put the kibosh on that year’s festivities, according to News 12.

Perhaps the most famous tristate groundhog death occurred in 2014 when Staten Island Chuck died days after former Mayor Bill De Blasio dropped the furry forecaster. The Staten Island Zoo refrained from blaming the mayor for the 10-month-old rodent’s demise.