One of the most memorable moments of the bowl season came when iconic Texas mascot Bevo broke through a metal enclosure into an area where Georgia mascot Uga was being photographed shortly before the Sugar Bowl.
There were no serious injuries before Tuesday’s game. Bevo’s handlers kept him from harming the bulldog or other people standing in the area.
Bevo is not here for this mascot meeting. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/KXgaQzGm0W
— Danny Davis (@aasdanny) January 2, 2019
But the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals used the moment to repeat its call for universities to do away with live animal mascots.
“It’s quite possible that Bevo was simply scared by the noise, lights, and chaos in the stadium and tried to flee from the confines of his makeshift pen. But that doesn’t change the fact that Uga or any of the humans standing nearby could easily have been trampled and killed,” PETA wrote in a news releaseon its website.
PETA sent a letter to both universities decrying the practice, calling on Texas and Gerogia to “learn from this dangerous incident” and retire their live animal mascots.
“(The live animal mascots are) frequently carted around to sporting events and public appearances, which are confusing and frightening for them,” PETA said in the blog. “Human mascots can engage with sports fans, pose for pictures, lead cheers, and pump up their teams and fans much better than a terrified animal can. They’re also much less expensive for schools, and some universities offer scholarships for student mascots.”
So what do you think? Should the Sugar Bowl incident be a signal to put Bevo out to pasture?
Or should his handlers get a better grip on potential trouble situations with additional training?
