On this cold and snowy morning in Oxford, Michigan, Tutor became only the second llama in history to give a weather prognostication. He was escorted out of the barn and into the daylight by his human friend Mark. He surveyed his pasture from the top of the hill and communicated to Mark that he did NOT see his shadow. In memory of Noah John and Zac, Tutor was confident in his forecast of an early spring. When he heard that Phil HAD seen his shadow, he said simply that he has to call it as he sees it and there was definitely NOT a shadow today in Michigan!

The history of Groundhog Day  in Oxford, Michigan -  In 1998, a baby groundhog was rescued after a collision with a car. The groundhog was taken to a local veterinary clinic where surgery was performed to save his life. The groundhog, unable to be released back into the wild due to his injuries, was named Noah John. He became Oxford’s beloved one-eyed weather prognosticating groundhog. Noah passed away on April 22, 2002 as a result of injuries sustained in the traffic accident. Before Noah John died, he met several times with his llama friend Mr. Prozac and instructed Zac in the art of weather prognosticating.

Zac was confident of his abilities as he stepped up into Oxford’s Centennial Park gazebo each year. When asked, he informed his handler Mark Harries, if he saw his shadow and that in memory of Noah, Zac gave his prediction.

Zac's predictions were covered by local television and newspapers as well as newspapers around the world. As time passed, Zac's prediction was moved from the center of town in Oxford to his home in Oxford Township. On April 26, 2009, Zac passed away from a severe bout of peritonitis. Before Zac passed away, he appointed a protoge` to continue the Groundhog Day tradition. February 2nd, 2010 will be Tutor's first prognosticating challenge.