Heather Wright/The Independent

Groundhogs are normally not laid back says Peggy Jenkins.

That’s what made Sheldon – better known as weather predicting groundhog Oil Spring Ollie – so special.

The eight year-old groundhog who had grown used to the spotlight and the children who crowded around to get a glimpse of him every Feb. 2, died Friday.

Sheldon was introduced as Oil Springs Ollie in January 2014. He was just a year old at the time and had been taken in by Heaven’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre which is in Oil Springs.

He had spent so much time with humans, Sheldon couldn’t be released into the wild.
Jenkins, the founder of the centre, suggested Oil Springs could have its own Groundhog Day ceremony, with Sheldon/Ollie at the centre. At the time, Jenkins expected the mild-mannered groundhog would adapt well to life in the spotlight.

“He’s very good,” she says. “He’s not afraid of people at all.” That’s not always the case with groundhogs. One groundhog prognosticator in the US actually bit a mayor one February 2nd. Oil Springs Mayor Ian Veen met Ollie before his debut, just to make sure they got along. And they did. The first event was a big success.

Over the years, Ollie went to different communities or schools to make his prediction and became a local celebrity.

Jenkins says he seemed to enjoy all the fuss. “He actually liked people,” she told The Independent Tuesday. “He was mostly laid back and calm. He was just like ‘Let’s go.’”

But Sheldon was getting into his golden years. While most groundhogs live to be three or four years, Sheldon was eight and nearing the end of his life.

Jenkins brought in a friend, another groundhog who couldn’t be released back into the wild named Harvey, to live with Sheldon.

The pair became friends and would sleep and play together. This past Groundhog Day, Harvey joined Sheldon for the big event. Jenkins says he’ll take Sheldon’s place next year.