Animal rights group Peta asks Crystal Palace to retire bald eagle mascot

An animal rights group is urging Crystal Palace to retire their reside bald eagle mascot with quick impact, saying a “shiny stadium full of boisterous followers is not any place for animals”.

In a letter to Palace CEO Sharon Lacey, People for the Ethical Treatment 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 reside animal mascots once more.

The London staff, generally known as the Eagles since 1973, launched a reside eagle to matchdays in 2010. Kayla, who died in 2020, carried out the function for 10 years and her substitute Phoenix made her debut towards West Ham in August 2024.

Peta says birds can turn out to be “frightened, disoriented and panicked” in stadium environments, placing themselves and followers in danger.

Using them for shows and leisure additionally denies the animals, who “would naturally keep away from people”, the chance to interact with their pure instincts, resulting in “frustration and stress”, the group mentioned.

The organisation has “detailed information” of incidents involving reside 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 found guilty of trying to punch Kayla the eagle at a League Cup fixture two years earlier.

“Many skilled sports activities groups use solely keen people as mascots and the membership already has Pete the Eagle to excite the group,” 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.”