Mike Tyson's Pigeon Show Not Exactly a Fine-Feathered Friend of PETA

Critter-loving activists nervous that boxer's new gig on Animal Planet will involve gambling

By Breanne L. Heldman Mar 22, 2010 3:25 PMTags
Mike Tyson, PigeonJason LaVeris/Getty Images

Let's be honest—Mike Tyson and PETA really were never meant to be friends. One bites ears and the other always wants to be heard.

The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals are especially up in arms lately about the boxer's new show with Animal Planet, Taking on Tyson, which features pigeon races. Needless to say, such a concept really ruffles their feathers.

"It is inherently cruel," PETA general counsel Jeffrey Kerr says in a statement. "The birds often end up lost in storms, being injured or just becoming so exhausted that they're unable to fly."

Upsetting them further is the idea that the birds will be used for gambling—something Animal Planet vehemently denies.

"There have never been any plans for wagering on the pigeon race," network spokeswoman Patricia Kollappallil retorts in her own press release. The show is meant to be an inside look at "the intensely competitive and bizarrely fascinating world of pigeon racing."

The birds, she promises, are "cherished and respected by their owners, including Mr. Tyson."

Last week, PETA sent a letter to the district attorney's office in Brooklyn, where the show is to be set, to help halt production.

"We received the letter and we're looking into it," Jonah Bruno, a spokesman for District Attorney Charles Hynes, tells the New York Daily News.

Taking on Tyson is slated to air sometime next year.

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Tyson claims to love the pigeons. Check out a bunch of other celebs who love their Very Important Pets!