On Groundhog’s Day in February, the famed Staten Island Chuck escaped the grasp of New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio and tumbled to the ground. But it wasn’t until this week that the New York Post reported that the animal de Blasio was holding died a week later at the Staten Island Zoo — and that it was actually a groundhog named Charlotte who was standing in for Chuck.

The revelation has caused quite a stir on social media, but the zoo isn’t blaming the mayor. Zoo officials say Charlotte was given a full examination after her fall on Feb. 2, and showed “no evidence of trauma or pain." She took part in several events in the week that followed and seemed fine, but on Feb. 9, she was found dead in her exhibit. A necropsy found that she died of internal injuries. "We don’t know how the animal suffered the injuries but we don’t think it was from the fall," said zoo spokesman Brian Morris. "We believe it happened sometime the night before she was found dead." The mayor’s office wasn’t informed of the animal’s death. "We were unaware that Staten Island Chuck had passed but are sorry to hear of the loss," mayoral spokesman Phil Walzak said. — Read it from the AP via Yahoo

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