Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has finally broken his silence about the infamous moment that he dropped a groundhog during Staten Island Zoo’s Groundhog Day back in 2014.
The groundhog in question – Charlotte – died from internal injuries around a week after the incident, which was described by the zoo’s spokesperson at the time as “a complete bungle”.
The tragedy marked the very first time Mr de Blasio had taken part in a Groundhog Day ceremony, and it prompted a wave of social media comments, some asking – jokingly – whether he should be impeached over what happened.
(Other comments suggesting he lose his job were somewhat less lighthearted.)
In an interview with New York magazine, Mr de Blasio finally addressed the controversy almost a decade after it occurred – revealing that he regrets the incident to this day and suggesting that he had never wanted to hold the creature in the first place.
Asked if he regrets dropping the rodent, the former mayor replied: “Yeah. 100%.
“I’m like, ‘Don’t make me hold a f***ing groundhog.’ I mean, what the hell?”
He added: “I go there and it’s seven in the morning, which means my motor skills are not at their best. I put on these gloves, and they’re like, ‘Here’s a groundhog,’ I’m like, ‘What the f***?’”
Mr de Blasio, who was mayor of the Big Apple from 2014 to 2022, described the saga as “idiocy” as he questioned why he was required to hold the animal in the first place.
“I’m like, ‘Don’t you have a little more coaching to go with this or whatever?’ It was idiocy,” he said.
“Why would you want an elected official to hold a groundhog? I don’t know anything about holding groundhogs. So the whole thing is just insane. There’s an original sin here. Don’t hand someone a groundhog, right?
“And do you squeeze it really tight? I mean, what do you do? So I’m like, talk about a lack of advance work.”
The deadly mishap unfolded on camera – and in front of children and families who had gathered for the annual tradition.
Seven days later, Charlotte was found dead with her cause of death ruled as acute internal injuries consistent with a fall.
After the news broke of her death, Mr DeBlasio’s office sent condolences and the zoo ended the practice of groundhog ceremonies altogether.
But in a bizarre twist of fate, it later transpired that the groundhog victim wasn’t supposed to be there at all that day.
The zoo had replaced Staten Island Chuck with Charlotte for the ceremony after the male creature bit former Mayor Michael Bloomberg back in 2009.
