Crystal Palace have been asked to stop using their live bald eagle at matches, with immediate effect. The request comes from Peta, who wrote to chief executive Sharon Lacey arguing that "a bright stadium filled with boisterous fans is no place for animals".
The letter asks the club to retire Phoenix from pre-match displays at Selhurst Park and to commit to never using a live animal mascot again. Palace have not responded publicly.
Fifty-three years of eagles, sixteen of a real one
Palace have been the Eagles since 1973, when the club dropped the old Glaziers nickname. The live bird arrived much later. Kayla performed the matchday role from 2010 until her death in 2020, and Phoenix took over with a debut against West Ham in August 2024.
The club also has Pete the Eagle, the costumed version, and Peta lean on that in their argument: the role is already filled by someone who chose to do it. "Many professional sports teams use only willing humans as mascots and the club already has Pete the Eagle to excite the crowd," said Dr Carys Bennett, the group's senior corporate projects manager.
What Peta say the risk actually is
Their case rests on two points. The first is distress. Birds in a stadium environment can become frightened, disoriented and panicked, the group says, which puts both the animal and the people near it in danger. The second is that a bird used for entertainment cannot behave as it would naturally, and an animal that would ordinarily avoid humans altogether ends up surrounded by tens of thousands of them.
Peta also say they hold detailed records of incidents involving live mascots, birds included, being hurt or killed in collisions with walls, windows and match balls. One of the examples cited is a falcon that landed on a spectator's head and embedded its talons in his scalp.
The Kayla case is the one Palace fans will remember
The club has had an incident of its own. In 2017 a Charlton Athletic supporter was found guilty of trying to punch Kayla at a League Cup fixture two years earlier, a case that attracted a fair amount of attention at the time and did not reflect well on anybody involved.
Peta's argument is essentially that the eagle is a symbol worth keeping and a live bird is not the way to keep it. Whether Palace see it that way is another matter. Phoenix has been part of the matchday routine at Selhurst Park for two seasons now, and the Eagles identity is wrapped up in the thing rather tightly.
Club context: Crystal Palace adopted the Eagles nickname in 1973, having previously been the Glaziers, and introduced a live eagle on matchdays in 2010. Kayla held the role for 10 years until her death in 2020; Phoenix made her debut against West Ham in August 2024. Peta's letter was addressed to Palace chief executive Sharon Lacey.
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