PETA has sent letters to the University of Texas and the University of Georgia, asking the schools to retire their respective animal mascots, Bevo XV and Uga X, following their near deadly sideline altercation before Tuesday's Sugar Bowl. About an hour before kickoff, Texas' Bevo (a steer) rammed through the barricade of his makeshift pen and charged at Georgia's Uga (a bulldog).
The Texas handlers were able to tame Bevo before things got out of hand, but PETA is using the incident as an example of why live animal mascots need to be a thing of the past.
"[The live animal mascots are] frequently carted around to sporting events and public appearances, which are confusing and frightening for them," PETA wrote on their 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."
In addition to nearly killing Georgia's mascot, the Longhorns beat the Bulldogs, 28-21.
