The groundhog, who resided at the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Winnipeg, died Friday night, just days before Groundhog Day on Feb. 2.

Canadian groundhog dies days before Groundhog Day

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Daniel Martins

Digital Reporter

Tuesday, January 31, 2017, 12:10 PM - Editor’s note: This article originally ran on Feb. 2, 2016

Forecasters are going to have to do without the help of Manitoba groundhog Winnipeg Willow tomorrow.

The groundhog, who resided at the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Winnipeg, died Friday night, just days before Groundhog Day.

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"We are in complete shock and sadness with tears coming down our face to announce the passing of Winnipeg Willow this evening," staff wrote on the centre's Facebook page that evening. "She was acting her normal self this morning and eating a carrot but [we] came in this evening to find her gone."

Willow was born on May 2010, according to the centre, which received the groundhog after her mother was killed by a dog. Although intended to be released, a broken leg extended her stay at the centre, such that she was too accustomed to humans to be returned to the wild.

We are in complete shock and sadness with tears coming down our face to announce the passing of Winnipeg Willow this... Posted by Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre on Friday, January 29, 2016

The average life span of a groundhog is 4-6 years, so Willow had a good run. She was often taken on tour to schools as part of an educational program, and turned a paw to weather prognostication. With her death, a nearby Groundhog Day celebration has been cancelled.

"We loved trying to predict the upcoming forecast and I think we only got one season right," the centre's staff says. "From her current behavior this past winter, we were going to predict an early spring as she was eager to head outdoors."

The task of predicting Manitoba's spring this year falls to Manitoba Merv and Brandon Bob as Willow's most high-profile peers.

Elsewhere, eyes will be on Ontario's Wiarton Willie and Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam, whose home in the Atlantic time zone guarantees a one-hour head start on Feb. 2.