Ralphie V, the live American buffalo mascot for the University of Colorado Boulder, is retiring. As the university looks for Ralphie VI, we are calling on CU Boulder to stop using live animals as mascots.

Different versions of Ralphie running at football games has been a CU tradition for more than five decades. The university says all of the buffaloes are well taken care of. We believe, however, that animals should not be thought of as toys, props, or amusements. Instead, they should be respected for who they are and how they live naturally.

Live-animal mascots have been injured when brought onto the field for sports games; numerous colleges and universities—including Cornell University, the University of California–Los Angeles, and Brown University—have now swapped live-animal mascots for crowd-pleasing costumed humans; and the exploitation of animals in circuses and marine parks is ending around the world. 

“Bringing a live animal into a stadium full of screaming fans is dangerous for everyone involved and no picnic for the animal,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is calling on CU-Boulder to recognize that other living, feeling beings aren’t sports props and retire its live-mascot program.”

We, who have signed this petition, urge CU Boulder to find a non-animal alternative to this event, such as costumed humans.