PETA, Let Tyson Love His Pigeons

On Monday, about 20 PETA protesters gathered outside Mike Tyson’s suburban home in Henderson, Nevada,  in response to the Sunday debut of his new show on Animal Planet, “Taking on Tyson.” While the show claims to highlight Tyson’s sincere love of pigeons, PETA is up in arms over the former boxing champ’s new role as a pigeon racer.

The world of animal enthusiasts are sending out mixed messages about Mike Tyson. While I always assumed Animal Planet and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals were tight, apparently they can’t agree when it comes to Tyson and his relationship to pigeons.

Animal Planet has dedicated the new reality show “Taking on Tyson” to the gentle fighter’s first passion, pigeons. A long-time pigeon breeder, Tyson enters the realm of pigeon racing for the first time on the TV-series and is featured with other pigeon racers in New York City.

According to the show’s website, Tyson has loved pigeons since childhood: “Mike threw his first punch when a neighborhood bully killed one of his beloved pigeons and threw it in his face.”

As fucked up as that sounds, it kind of all makes sense now. The memory of his beloved avian friend probably fueled his boxing career. Every opponent became that neighborhood bully who went too far. That still doesn’t explain the whole ear-biting incident, but fact remains fact: this is real, unbridled love being depicted on TV screens nationwide.

PETA obviously did not reach the same conclusion after seeing the show.  The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported some PETA protesters carrying signs that read, “Feather-weights: No match for a Heavyweight,” and “Mike doesn’t give pigeon’s a fighting chance.” In starpulse.com, PETA rep is quoted saying, “These animals aren’t racing because they enjoy it. It’s out of desperation that they make it back.”

Simmer down now, PETA. Granted, I don’t really see the point in racing pigeons, but I don’t consider pigeon racers inherently cruel. In fact, I bet race pigeons, especially Tyson’s, are treated like gold compared to street pigeons (you know what I’m taking about, the garbage-eating creatures that always seem to be missing a talon or two and bathe in puddles of half gasoline, half water). Let’s give Tyson the opportunity to share his first love and his new hobby, and who knows, maybe the nation will start looking at pigeons in a different light.