Potawatomi Poppy predicts 6 more weeks of winter, Matt Engelbrecht predicts early Spring

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - The Potawatomi Zoo celebrated Groundhog Day on Thursday with Poppy, its new ambassador animal.

The zoo shared a “weather report” from Poppy on its Facebook page on Thursday morning. Zoo officials confirmed that she saw her shadow, which means six more weeks of winter is expected.

“I think its just one of those fun traditions that’s happened for many years,” said Josh Sisk, executive director at the Potawatomi Zoo. “You see it on TV, the groundhog comes out and sees its shadow. We don’t know if there’s any truth to it or not, but it’s a lot of fun. Having a groundhog as an ambassador that we can bring out and do this, we thought ‘Why not?’ We need to have our own little South Bend Groundhog’s Day.”

Meanwhile, Poppy joined us in the studio on 16 News Now at 4. That’s when Chief Meteorologist Matt Engelbrecht predicted an early Spring!

Poppy was rescued by a wildlife rehabilitator in 2022 and has been with the Potawatomi Zoo for three months.

We’ll know soon enough who made the correct prediction!

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