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Chicago JK · 10-19-2003, 09:54 PM

Can you confirm somthing I heard? I was told that Baylor will not have the Baylor Bear at football games anymore due to pressure from PETA? Please tell me this isn't true. I heard this from someone not very reliable and I just want to confirm.

Drbio · 10-19-2003, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Chicago JK
Can you confirm somthing I heard? I was told that Baylor will not have the Baylor Bear at football games anymore due to pressure from PETA? Please tell me this isn't true. I heard this from someone not very reliable and I just want to confirm.

Not true. The school contracts with a veterinarian to monitor the bears. In the past he has recommended actions like not serving the bear Dr. Pepper (a practice which was stopped a couple years ago now), exercise regimes, etc. The vet advised that we limit the bears exposure to large crowds due to nerves or health issues related to that. The bears become very skittish at games. That is why they will no longer be at every game. However, the bears will make special appearances in the future. We are also upgrading the bear pit. It will be very nice, basically increasing the size of the compound x4-5 and making it more natural by adding trees, grass, and upgrading the pools.

There was a group on campus last year that complained about the bear pit and that is the group you are referring to. I forget their name, but the were not PETA. Anyways, this was a decision based on bear health....not on PETA or any other wack group. Glad to clear that up.

Dooby · 10-20-2003, 08:11 AM

College Football has taken all the fun out of live mascots. SMU can't run Peruna across the field after touchdowns anymore. Not that there is much opportunity these days. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

dallas_esq · 10-20-2003, 11:10 AM

live mascotts were always overrated IMO. Animals don't belong in those situations. Many accidents have happened over the years which "took the fun" out of mascotts for the unfortunate victims, humans and animals alike. I like A&M's mascott, it's a DOG! A dog can handle it. A horse, bear, lion, tiger, even my own school's Longhorn, they don't belong out there.

Dooby · 10-20-2003, 11:35 AM

I can personally vouch for the fact that Peruna loves what he does. He's a shetland pony, which is basically just a big ass dog anyway. He gets all the attention that a horse at a pony ride gets and he doesn't have kids riding on his back.

BTW, Peruna has the distinction of being the only mascot in NCAA football to actually kill another team's mascot. Many years ago, at a football game, the Fordham Ram came up behind Peruna and was killed instantly with one swift kick.

dallas_esq · 10-20-2003, 12:01 PM

That is a cool mascott situation, and a good story. However, that Ram is the kind of mascott that I submit has NEVER had fun at a football game. As long as Peruna is around, however reasonable an idea that is, then these dumbass schools will march Rams and Bears onto the field. Not cool.

Drbio · 10-20-2003, 02:30 PM

Not cool..."in your opinion". Personally, I think that there is nothing "dumbass" about it. It is only a tradition that goes back over a hhundred years or so.

The dumbass opinion comes from folks like PETA.

kg_veteran · 10-20-2003, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: dallas_esq
That is a cool mascott situation, and a good story. However, that Ram is the kind of mascott that I submit has NEVER had fun at a football game. As long as Peruna is around, however reasonable an idea that is, then these dumbass schools will march Rams and Bears onto the field. Not cool.

Why offer up stupid opinions like this?

dallas_esq · 10-26-2003, 10:44 AM

Why do you offer up your opinions? It is my opinion. You may not like it, but Bears don't belong at football games. Just because you've done somehting for a hundred years doesn't make it right.