January 27th, 2021 by WCBC Radio

With the Tri-State Zoological Park slated to provide a groundhog for the Groundhog Day event downtown, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals organization has sent a letter to Melinda Kelleher, the executive director of the Cumberland Downtown Development Commission, urging her to skip the event altogether.  In a press release, PETA notes that groundhogs are prey animals who actively avoid human contact and transporting them to unfamiliar locations while they should be hibernating and subjecting them to being around unfamiliar humans is extremely stressful for them. PETA’s request follows a recent ruling by the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, which denied Tri-State’s motion to dismiss the civil complaint filed against it by PETA and a concerned citizen alleging that the roadside zoo’s neglect and abuse of more than 100 animals creates a public nuisance.  PETA and the zoo’s owner and operator Bob Candy have been engaged in legal battles for several years. Candy has made his distain for the activist group well known…