Bill de Blasio drops Staten Island Chuck, a groundhog named Charlotte, who died a week later. (Instagram/Maracgay)
NEW YORK, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Staten Island Zoo is accused of a nefarious coverup in the death of a beloved New York icon: Groundhog Day star Staten Island Chuck.
Back on Feb. 2, newly sworn in New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio went to what should have been a simple ceremonial Groundhog Day event. But a cheerful appearance turned tragic when the nervous animal squirmed out of the 6-foot-5 mayor's hands, falling to the ground before a horrified crowd.
A report from the New York Post revealed that the groundhog, Staten Island Chuck, was actually a female imposter named Charlotte. She was found dead in her enclosure at the Staten Island Zoo on Feb. 9, and a necropsy found she had died of "acute internal injuries" consistent with a 6-foot fall.
Rather than admitting her death to the public, the zoo, which receives nearly half of its $3.5 million-budget from the city, told its employees to keep Charlotte's death a secret from the mayor's office.
"I was told he died of old age, that he went to the big farm in the sky," said local Assemblyman Matthew Titone, one of the few people told of the groundhog's death. Even after the Post learned the result of the necropsy, a zoo spokesman denied the fall played a role in Charlotte's death.
The animal was examined after the event and seemed fine, the spokesman said, adding that "it appears unlikely that the animal's death is related to the events on Groundhog Day."
Mayor's office spokesman Phil Walzak said it learned of Charlotte's death from the Post report.
"We were unaware that Staten Island Chuck had passed but are sorry to hear of the loss," Walzak said.
The zoo also admitted to frequently swapping out the real Chuck for imposters, but typically keeps that information quiet to protect the "groundhog brand."
Chuck was replaced for the event by Charlotte, reportedly because zoo officials feared he would bite de Blasio, as he did his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg in 2009.
The zoo, apparently unperturbed the revelation of its marmot misdirection, will keep the real Chuck behind the scenes in next years's ceremony: Chuck and the late Charlotte's daughter, also named Charlotte, will take the stage instead.