Groundhog Day 2021 controversy: Staten Island Chuck goes virtual, but where was the snow? Updated Feb 02, 2021; Posted Feb 02, 2021 Facebook Share STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — While hundreds would normally flock to the Staten Island Zoo in West Brighton to watch Staten Island Chuck give his annual Groundhog Day prediction, this year was different due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Instead, people gathered virtually Tuesday morning to watch the Zoo’s live stream of the celebration since the event was closed to the public due to the virus. Shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday, the Facebook Live video showed the borough’s favorite, furry prognosticator crawl out of his burrow in search of his shadow, but to no avail. Zoo executive director Ken Mitchell was joined by Brian Gomez, vice president of Investors Bank, the event’s sponsor, who held up a “Spring is Coming” sign.