Connecticut’s State Groundhog Chuckles X Has Died

It's been said that Chuckles X, Connecticut's official state groundhog, would only communicate with Manchester Mayor, Jay Moran, when she delivered her spring forecast. It is with sadness when I tell you that the female woodchuck, Chuckles X, passed away last weekend, according to many sources, including the Hartford Courant.

With Chuckles X now just a fond memory, her successor must be named in time before Groundhog Day 2021 on February 2, which brings to light an important issue. The new Chuckles XI cannot be taken from the wild. It must be an animal that is either a family pet or is being cared for by an animal specialist.

The story has been told that Chuckles X conferred with a hedgehog at the Lutz Children's Museum named Phoebe, who then passed on her prediction to the Manchester Mayor. You know the deal, right? If the groundhog pops up from his hole on February 2 and sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter will follow.

As a baby woodchuck, Chuckles X's life was a nightmare. It is a fact that she was blind due to someone poisoning her when she was a baby. Her eyes were then surgically removed, but Chuckles miraculously retained her prognostication capabilities.  The following video was taken at the Lutz Children's Museum on February 2, 2020, when Chuckles X made her very last prediction.