Buckeye Chuck: Cleveland Museum of Natural History is home to Ohio’s weather-predicting groundhog

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cleveland Museum of Natural History announced that one of their newest animal ambassadors has officially been named Ohio’s “Buckeye Chuck!”

First thing’s first, the state’s official weather-predicting groundhog is actually named Murray – a nod to Bill Murray’s portrayal in Groundhog Day.

Murray was found injured on the side of the road, CMNH stated.

While he was nursed back to health, CMNH said his caretakers determined he could not be released back into nature.

Now, Murray calls the CMNH’s Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden his home.

When he’s not fulfilling his stately duties, Murray will be participating in live animal programs to help educate others on the importance of Ohio’s native wildlife, according to CMNH.

While CMNH announced Murray’s role on Jan. 15, Murray arrived at the museum back in June 2023.

Since then, CMNH said he has been training for both educational programs and veterinary checkups while also enjoying new enrichment items.

“All animal ambassadors at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History participate in voluntary training and enrichment,” CMNH explained. “In preparation for this event, the Museum’s Wildlife staff will begin to introduce Murray to a ‘den’ and platform so he can choose to participate in a hands-off weather prediction.”

“Not only does Murray have a safe and nurturing new home, but our guests also have a chance to learn from him, so it’s a perfect pairing,” Director of Wildlife Jim Nemet stated. “The goal of the Perkins Wildlife Center is to allow people to get up close and learn about Ohio Wildlife, and Murray’s addition helps out with that tremendously.”

Now, Murray is preparing to make his debut as Buckeye Chuck during iHeart Media’s Groundhog Day live broadcast on Feb. 2, according to CMNH.

It’s up to Buckeye Chuck to predict if there will be six more weeks of winter… If Murray does not see his shadow, then he will predict an early spring.

“Murray will choose to participate on his terms, just like he does for educational programming at the Museum,” said Nemet.

The Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden is an outdoor space on the Museum’s University Circle campus that can be accessed with general admission tickets.

This center is home to rescued animals that cannot return to the wild, along with wildlife and plants native to Ohio to be a living educational collection.

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