PETA Dubious of Mike Tyson Racing Pigeons on TV
PETA worries a
new Animal Planet show featuring Mike Tyson racing pigeons will "showcase cruelty and profiteering at animals' expense," the animal rights organization's president, Ingrid Newkirk, tells
PopEater.
The program, tentatively titled 'Taking on Tyson,' is set to begin filming in New York City this spring and is slated to air in early 2011. "I may have stopped fighting," the one-time world heavyweight champion tells the
New York Post, "but I never stopped flying birds. It's my first love. I feel a great pride acting as an official representative for all the pigeon fanciers out there."
But Tyson's love of pigeons isn't sitting well with PETA, who question Iron Mike's intentions with the show.
"One wonders whether Mike Tyson -- as a self-appointed ambassador of and 'rookie' to pigeon racing -- realizes that just as losing racehorses end up in the glue factory, these gentle, loyal birds who race their hearts out in order to get home to their life mates often become lost in storms or have their necks wrung for failing to beat their competitors' time," Newkirk's statement reads.
In a
PR Newswire press release, Animal Planet president Marjorie Kaplan marvels at Iron Mike's passion for pigeons. "It takes my breath away," Kaplan says. "Tyson has raised pigeons all his life. In fact, his first-ever fight as a child was in defense of his birds."
The former boxer who spent jail-time for rape in the 1990s tells the Post he owns several hundred birds. The show should give a new dimension of insight into a man who already bared much of himself as the focus of the 2008 documentary 'Tyson.'
The press release says the show's premise will revolve around Tyson, a novice racer despite his longtime pigeon ownership, facing off against other pigeon fanciers, hoping to be "crowned a champ all over again."
Newkirk disparages the cable channel's judgment, saying, "Animal Planet needs more programs like 'Whale Wars' and 'Animal Cops' in which people go to bat for animals and fewer programs that showcase cruelty and profiteering at animals' expense."
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Who cares what those PETA freaks think?
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I couldn't agree with you more. PETA are all narcissistic idiots who need to help the human race more and let nature take care of the animals. Well, nature and my local butcher :)
He knocked someone out who was going to kill one of his birds at a very young age... I don't think he would kill them for any reason.
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I used to race pigeons in the 50's...and I have to tell you we ate a lot of birds that didn't measure up. Maybe I should apologize for not releasing them except they always came back.
We also had a few rattle snakes for dinner. Tasted like pigeon.
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The fact that people eat dead animal bodies is just shocking to me...I was raised a vegetarian and have NEVER used my body as a graveyard for dead animals..Soooooo demonic!
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Hey Mikey- See those pointy teeth you have in the front? They are there because you're designed to eat meat.
I didn't get to the top of the food chain to just eat carrots.
Good thing pigeons don't have large ears.
Mikey,
I prefer the dead animal bodies to the live ones.
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I love my new PETA tee shirt. Have you seen it?
People Eating Tasty Animals
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Ingrid Newkirk...What a waste of carbon!!
It bothers me that every breath of oxygen that she takes is one less for a more deserving carbon based object!!
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pigeons are cool pets - some can even roll and tumble while flying - best bird to eat (reason there are no more passenger pigeons) - animals have no rights - respect them - PETA is the one profiting from animals - i wonder how a PETA tastes fresh off the barbe?
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PETA and All Veagens overlook that fact that plants are living things also so we are suppose to accept the senseless murder of plants while they try to make us feel bad for eating meat. Long Live "People Eating Tasty Animals"!
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Mikey - You may not eat dead animal bodies, but you do eat dead plant bodies. Killing is killing. The only creatures who don't kill to eat are photosynthetic plants. Get off your high horse.
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Peta ought to be more concerned with the 95% of dogs/cats they euthenize every year because they are not a "shelter". Makes me ill.......
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I live in Brooklyn, NY and my father and his and his father before him have all raised and raced Homing Pigeons for over 100 years all together. I have been witness to this sport for 45 years. My father has treated those birds sometimes better then us. He makes sure they are well feed, get plenty of flying time, he trains them and keeps their coop cleaner then our hallway entrance. To say these birds are being mistreated can only be said by someone from PETA that doesn't have a clue into this sport. They need to be educated in the Racing of Homing Pigeons they were used in War Time to send messages back and forth. We have grown up in my house with not only pigeons, we had dogs, tropical fish, snakes, lizards, Rabbits, and on and on and we treated these animals with love and respect, and we cried and mourned their deaths and still do. Humans are being mistreated all around the world, so I suggest PETA read your history on Racing Pigeons!
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Why doesn't PETA concentrate on something more important, like trying to find homes for the record number of healthy animals they euthanize every year! The last time I checked, bird racing involves birds flying....which is kinda what they do! Is PETA actually claiming that Tyson is FORCING his birds to fly???
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I just ate some dead cow, with my leather boots on, while sitting on my heated leather seats...life is good!
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Those PETA people are so pathetic. They need to get a life. I would like to see one of those dumbass people step to Tyson and say something about him racing birds.
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I have actually met Mr. Tyson, he came and visited my friends dad who raises pigeons and he is really into these birds. The way he acted that day towards the bird I dont think he would do anything to hurt these birds.
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I have saved 7 cat's and three dog's. I love animal's. I don't like PETA because they are out for THERE
own good not the ANIMAL'S.
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