Marc A. Hermann for New York Daily News
Ooops.
A week after Mayor de Blasio dropped Staten Island Chuck on Groundhog Day, the critter was found dead of internal injuries.
In another revelation Thursday, it emerged that Chuck was actually Charlotte - female, not male.
The Staten Island Zoo keeps the animals on rotation because they only have a short lifespan - typically four to six years.
'She was in her habitat for the evening. The zoo opened up and they found her dead,' Staten Island Assemblyman Matthew Titone said Thursday.
It's unclear if the nearly 6-foot-5 mayor's fumbling killed the popular critter, who in one of her last acts correctly predicted six more weeks of winter.
'There were some internal injuries, but new ones,' Titone said. 'She could've been climbing in her habitat and fell in a really bad position.'
Marc A. Hermann for New York Daily News
He does not believe the mayor killed the animal.
'After she squirmed out of the mayor's hands, she underwent a full and thorough veterinary examination. She did not present any signs of distress and she still had a full appetite,' he said.
Titone was one of the few people in New York who knew Chuck was actually a female.
'There are many, many groundhogs,' he said.
Zoo officials don't tell the public because, 'it's like telling a kid there's no tooth fairy or Santa Claus,' he said.
The mayor's office said it wasn't aware of any problems with the animal.
{ 0 comments... Views All / Send Comment! }
Post a Comment