PETA urges Crystal Palace to retire Phoenix, its live bald eagle mascot

An animal rights group wants one of English soccer's most famous matchday traditions to end.

PETA has written to Crystal Palace chief executive Sharon Lacey asking the club to retire Phoenix, its live bald eagle mascot, right away. The group also wants Palace to commit to "never using a live animal mascot again."

Why PETA objects

The letter argues that "reclusive eagles deserve better than a stressful, booming stadium environment." It says bright lights, loud noises and boisterous crowds can leave birds "frightened, disoriented and panicked."

PETA pointed to past incidents involving birds at soccer games. It cited an owl that died after being hit by a ball, eagles that crashed into walls or windows and a falcon that landed on a fan's head and dug its talons into his scalp.

"Bald eagles are revered as symbols of freedom, yet Phoenix is being used as little more than a prop to entertain football fans," PETA's Dr. Carys Bennett said. "Crystal Palace already has a human mascot to energise supporters, so there's no reason to drag a wild animal into a noisy, crowded stadium."

A long tradition

Palace have been nicknamed the Eagles since 1973. Before Phoenix, the club's eagle Kayla regularly appeared before matches at Selhurst Park and flew the length of the pitch.

The letter also mentioned a fan who punched a rival team's eagle mascot. That is believed to refer to an attack on Kayla during a League Cup match against south London rivals Charlton in September 2015.

Crystal Palace had not responded publicly to the letter as of Tuesday afternoon.