After Spirit’s adventure last Saturday, some people don’t think Auburn’s treatment of its eagles is very ethical.
In a letter published in today’s Montgomery Advertiser, Lindsay Pollard Post of, ah yes, the PETA Foundation writes:
The crash of a bald eagle named Spirit into a window during a forced pre-game flight at the Auburn Tigers’ stadium on Saturday is a sad example of how animals suffer when we drag them into human celebrations.
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In light of Spirit’s disturbing accident, let’s hope the Tigers will be good sports and retire their animal mascots to sanctuaries, where they can live out their days in peace and safety.
Thing is, that probably wouldn’t be very ethical.
From the Southeastern Raptor Center website:
In 1995, Spirit was discovered as an injured fledgling in Florida. He came to Auburn in 1998 and joined the educational collection at the Raptor Center. His damaged beak makes him non-releasable
Ahem.
This isn’t the first time Auburn has had a run-in with PETA. In 2007, some vet student went all whistle blower for the animal rights group over alleged malfeasance in canine kidney transplants. Thing is, there wasn’t really a whistle to blow—Auburn ended the program in question 13 months before PETA used it to grab headlines.
Peace Eagle, PETA… Peace Eagle.
Photo via.
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It’s always fascinating when someone can smile while they tell you to go to hell.
The only thing better is when you look forward to the trip.
PETA Worker: “Boss, boss, come quick! A college tradition we’ve never paid notice to before resulted in an eagle crashing into a window.”
PETA Boss: “Was the bird injured?”
PETA Worker: “No sir, but over 80K people saw it in person and another 10 million have seen videos of it.”
PETA Boss: “TEN MILLION! Why that’s just the kind of exposure our ambulance-chasing marketing strategy was designer for. Call up the Internet and release a statement.”
Suck it, PETA!
Thanks PETA. You make TOTAL sense getting into the affairs of AU’s Raptor Center. You know, the one that is the only medical/rehabilitation facility in the Southeast for raptors. Yeah, that makes complete sense to me. Get mad at the organization who has done more for raptors, their health and conservation than your dumbass nude advertisements and crazy demonstrations have ever done. Just another reason we should take everyone who is involved in PETA and shipped them to an island, then send a nuclear missile to it. It’s hard for me to believe that people are so idiotic.
Even for some idiot like Lindsay Pollard to assume we may even contemplate not flying our eagle before football games makes me angry enough to buy a Michael Vick jersey out of spite.
PETA needs to piss off. They are the most pathetic organization that has ever been put together. The eagles are not FORCED to fly. Who out there thinks that they can FORCE a bird to fly against its will? No one, that’s who. If the bird didn’t want to fly it wouldn’t. PETA has never actually done anything to help any animal. Throwing red paint on fur coats and wasting millions of dollars on nude advertising campaigns with the biggest stars in Hollywood doesn’t save animals it just shows their ignorance. As it was stated in another comment the AU Raptor Center IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE SOUTHEAST and it does more in 5 minutes to help save those birds lives than PETA has ever done for any animal in its entire existence or ever will. WAR EAGLE!!!!! SUCK IT PETA AND GO TO HELL!!!!!
I’ll go ahead and assume PETA has made similar “suggestions” to other schools since they are for the ethical treatment of ALL animals. I guess Mike the Tiger and Uga haven’t received the same number of web hits as Spirit. Make sure those mascots keep a low profile LSU and UGA.
You left out the bit where where PETA also hates Auburn because the vet school does hundreds of terminal surgeries on perfectly fine shelter animals. For education purposes they perform 3-4 needless surgical procedures at once on a homeless animal and then kill them. This probably happened to 30+ dogs in the past week alone. Auburn is one of the last if not the only remaining school that does instructional terminal surgeries.
I’m not saying it doesn’t have a purpose or that it should be stopped, but it’s a tough ethical issue to kill hundreds of healthy animals each year, and it makes sense that PETA would hold a grudge against Auburn for their stubborn refusal to consider educational alternatives like most every other school.
PETA kills thousands of healthy animals itself every year — the vast majority of the dogs and cats they “take in for adoption” are euthanized (96%). The demonstrations they stage are often grossly misogynist, with near-naked women in cages, etc. Their founder’s comparison of pet ownership to slavery is deeply offensive to me, and is an ignorant slap in the face to those who are descendants of slaves. I could go on but it takes only about 10 seconds of googling to discover what a disgusting organization they are.
That bird is better taken care of than I am….
Go eat a fajita Peta!
well done
PETA: I shall dine on the finest cut of cow tonight in your honor!
@CP, these animals are going to be euthanized one way or another so why not get some useful teaching out of them to save other animals whose owners will pay for their treatment. As long as they are making it as painless as possible for the animal I’m OK with it. PETA should take the millions they spend on those stupid ads and pay for animals to be spayed and neutered. They could also spend it to educate potential pet owners about the responsibility and “true cost” of owning a pet. That would go a long way to reducing the # of animals in shelters that must be fed, watered, and the building/staff paid for.
Die in a fire, PETA. DIE IN A FIRE.
Another point – the vet school wouldn’t have so many animals to euthanize if people would be responsible in spaying or neutering their animals. Jump on that bandwagon, PETA! Also, shelters and vets would have less business if pet owners did what they need to do, take proper care of their pets. PETA, as usual, is more interested in perception than reality – a sad state of affairs in the world today.
FU, PETA. FU
I would be more worried for the people in the crowd than the bird.
PETA, go gobble your namesake
As an Auburn fan, now a citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I cordially invite all Auburn fans to attend this year’s “Annual PETA Fishing Tournament”, sponsored by Norfolk’s FM 99 (classic rock). It’s in November, so check out their website for details in the coming weeks.
PETA’s headquarters are in downtown Norfolk, VA right on the Elizabeth River. You’ll need a boat… or a friend with a boat. Then do as the locals do. Anchor right in front of the PETA HQ building, and drop in a fishing line. Then get out your bucket(s) of KFC, or start up a grill, and eat copious amounts of dead animals while enjoying your favorite beverage – in direct view of the PETA HQ. Hang sausages conspicuously on the sides. Wear Viking helmets and heavy fur coats. And, of course, the boat should have one or more mounted dear or elk heads displayed.
What fun!
Errrr…. that’s “deer”….
As is the tradition @ AU to fly an eagle pregame and for some idiot @PETA to want to end it is absurb! It is not like spirit died or severly injured. In fact after hitting the glass she finished her flight! Why do u want to cause problems? These animals r not abused spirit cannot b released back into the wild due to a damaged beak. If u have never visited the raptor center I suggest u do for then u will have a change of heart and not accuse someone of abuse! WAR EAGLE!!!!!!
I will NEVER give money to any animal organization again if you don’t leave Auburn alone!!!! I am sick to death of PETA and you need to mind your own damn business!!!
WAR DAMN EAGLE!!!!
PETA tries to make headlines but acts like an ass. The object to Auburn’s War Eagle, Georgia’s UGA bulldog, LSU’s Bengal tiger, and the list goes on and on, but these mascot animals are the most pampered and cared for animals in the world–the best environment, the best food, the best medical care, etc. PETA is not for the ethical treatment of animals, but for themselves to justify their existence and act like an ass.