On the heels of University of Colorado Boulder announcing the retirement of Ralphie V, its live buffalo mascot, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is calling on university leaders to stop using a live animal altogether.
In a letter sent to CU system President Mark Kennedy today, PETA describes the use of live animal mascots as “a recipe for disaster.”
“Even if animals aren’t physically harmed, it’s hard to imagine that they enjoy being paraded before raucous crowds, entirely out of their element, and treated as if they were toys rather than living, feeling beings with interests, personalities and needs of their own,” wrote Marta Holmberg, senior director of youth programs for PETA.