Tell Auburn Football Team to Stop Using Eagle Mascots Who Collide with Loge Windows

The Issue

Tell Auburn football officials to stop using eagles as mascots, because they fly into loge/luxury box windows and are injured. Bird-glass collisions kill up to one billion birds annually in the U.S. And when some survive, their beaks or bills are so damaged, they cannot eat to survive.

Here's a video of the now-retired "Spirit" bald eagle crashing into the reflective windows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgF6UJ5UgUs

And here's a link to the story explaining how the team is now using a golden eagle, Aurea, to "entertain" spectators: https://www.aotourism.com/Blog/11145/New-eagle-takes-flight-at-Auburn-University/

This link includes the statement, "The role of Auburn University's eagles is to promote wildlife conservation as a part of the education initiatives of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the College of Veterinary Medicine's Southeastern Raptor Center. The USF&WS permits the Raptor Center to house eagles and use them on hundreds of educational presentations each year - including Auburn's home football games."

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services, a federal agency, notoriously contracts to kill millions of wild animals including birds every year. They cannot be trusted. Neither, apparently, can this rehabber, who continues to allow wild, sensitive raptors to be exploited, subjected to extreme noise and stress, and window collisions.

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The Issue

Tell Auburn football officials to stop using eagles as mascots, because they fly into loge/luxury box windows and are injured. Bird-glass collisions kill up to one billion birds annually in the U.S. And when some survive, their beaks or bills are so damaged, they cannot eat to survive.

Here's a video of the now-retired "Spirit" bald eagle crashing into the reflective windows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgF6UJ5UgUs

And here's a link to the story explaining how the team is now using a golden eagle, Aurea, to "entertain" spectators: https://www.aotourism.com/Blog/11145/New-eagle-takes-flight-at-Auburn-University/

This link includes the statement, "The role of Auburn University's eagles is to promote wildlife conservation as a part of the education initiatives of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the College of Veterinary Medicine's Southeastern Raptor Center. The USF&WS permits the Raptor Center to house eagles and use them on hundreds of educational presentations each year - including Auburn's home football games."

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services, a federal agency, notoriously contracts to kill millions of wild animals including birds every year. They cannot be trusted. Neither, apparently, can this rehabber, who continues to allow wild, sensitive raptors to be exploited, subjected to extreme noise and stress, and window collisions.

The Decision Makers

wareagle2@auburn.edu
wareagle2@auburn.edu
Andrew Hopkins
Andrew Hopkins
Raptor Admin. Coordinator
Wade Stevens
Wade Stevens
Director, Auburn U Raptor Center
Jeff Whitehead
Jeff Whitehead
Executive Associate Athletic Director, Compliance
John Cohen
John Cohen
Athletics Director

Petition Updates