Milltown Mel, a groundhog who has for years offered his weather predictions on Groundhog Day, has died, his handlers say. They say Mel “recently crossed over the rainbow bridge” — and their scramble for a replacement rodent before Feb. 2 was fruitless.
Mel rose to celebrity status in Milltown, N.J., giving residents of the Garden State an idea of when to plant their springtime seeds. But he died at “a tough time of year, when most of his fellow groundhogs are hibernating,” according to his handlers, who are known as the Milltown Wranglers.
“We will work hard on getting us a new weather prognosticator for next year,” the Wranglers said, adding that New Jersey residents should “check out what all of Mel’s cousins have to say” about the end of winter.
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