Oregon Zoo beaver ‘Stumptown Fil’ predicts early spring

Across the country, Feb. 2 is known as Groundhog Day, when the namesake critter forecasts whether Americans will see six more weeks of winter or an early spring.

But because groundhogs don’t live in Oregon, the Oregon Zoo enlists the state animal to do the forecasting — a beaver named Filbert.

“Here in Oregon, we’re beaver believers,” said Christina Parr, a keeper in the zoo’s North America section, in a statement.

Filbert has been at the zoo in Portland since 2011, but became the resident furry forecaster in 2020.

Last year Filbert, a.k.a “Stumptown Fil” when wearing his weather expert hat, predicted six more weeks of winter. And afterward the Portland metro was hit by a memorable late winter snow storm.

But for this year his forecast is calling for an early spring. And his Pennsylvania counterpart, Punxsutawney Phil, agrees.