An animal rights group is urging Crystal Palace to retire their dwell bald eagle mascot with rapid impact, saying a “vibrant stadium full of boisterous followers isn’t any place for animals”.
In a letter to Palace CEO Sharon Lacey, Individuals for the Moral Therapy of Animals (Peta) requested the Premier League membership to cease utilizing the eagle, named Phoenix, in pre-match shows at Selhurst Park and to by no means use dwell animal mascots once more.
The London staff, generally known as the Eagles since 1973, launched a dwell eagle to matchdays in 2010. Kayla, who died in 2020, carried out the position for 10 years and her alternative Phoenix made her debut towards West Ham in August 2024.
Peta says birds can develop into “frightened, disoriented and panicked” in stadium environments, placing themselves and followers in danger.
Utilizing them for shows and leisure additionally denies the animals, who “would naturally keep away from people”, the chance to have interaction with their pure instincts, resulting in “frustration and stress”, the group mentioned.
The organisation has “detailed data” of incidents involving dwell mascots, together with birds, being injured or killed in collisions with partitions, home windows and match balls, in addition to a falcon embedding its talons in a spectator’s scalp after touchdown on his head.
In 2017, a Charlton Athletic fan was discovered responsible of making an attempt to punch Kayla the eagle at a League Cup fixture two years earlier.
“{Many professional} sports activities groups use solely prepared people as mascots and the membership already has Pete the Eagle to excite the gang,” mentioned Dr Carys Bennett, Peta’s senior company tasks supervisor.
“Bald eagles are broadly recognised as symbols of freedom. They deserve higher than for use as an leisure prop to amuse the Eagles’ followers.”