Wanda set to make her debut this Sunday for Groundhog Day in Chicago suburb
ELBURN, Ill. (CBS) — Move over, Woodstock Willie, there's a new groundhog in town, and she is ready to make her debut.
For decades, Willie has been the go-to weather predictor of early spring in the Chicago suburbs, drawing crowds to his annual appearance. This Sunday, he's got some competition.
Meet Wanda, the latest fury meteorologist and an ambassador for Anderson Humane Wildlife Center in Elburn, Illinois. As she warms up for her big debut this Groundhog Day, she's already stealing the hearts of her handlers at the rescue.
Wanda's journey to stardom is anything but typical. Last year, she and her siblings were orphaned in the wild. After weeks of rehab, Their release day came. Her brothers and sisters took off into the trees, but not Wanda.
Stephanie Franczak said that's pretty unusual since their work focuses on making sure wild animals do not become attached to them in order to survive on their own once back in the wild.
"We took her back to the forest three or four times, and every time, she followed our rehabber right back to the van," Franczak said. "She would not survive in the wild. She would have walked up to the wrong person, the wrong dog!"
"For some reason, we couldn't get her to be a wild animal again, and she's now kind of bonded with us in a way. So she's great with people. She's going to be fantastic when we take her out to educational seminars and programs all over the area," said Greg Mucha.
Wanda won't be the only special guest at the Groundhog Day event in Batavia. Isabel is going to be an imposter, an opossum. She was rescued as a baby.
"We crawled under a deck, down into a window well, and we were able to get out her and her siblings," Franczek said. "They were covered in fly eggs and maggots. We were able to clean them up. The siblings did great. They were afraid of us. They grew really fast."
But Isabel also decided to stay. Now at a year and a half, she helps teach people about wildlife.
"she needs to wreak havoc whenever she can," Franczak said.
As for Wanda's big moment, all eyes will be on whether she sees her shadow.
"My mission one day is to make everyone want to coexist with animals and wildlife. And I hope Wanda will help contribute to that cause and hopefully give us an early spring, right?" Franczak said.
One thing's for sure: the eight-month-old is already a fan favorite. The Groundhog Day event this Sunday in Batavia posted on Facebook sold out in just five days.
Will Wanda unseat Woodstock Willie as our favorite local furry forecaster? That remains to be seen.
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