People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is asking the University of North Alabama (UNA) to send their live mascot, Leo III, to an off-campus sanctuary.
Leo’s twin sister, Una, passed away earlier this week. The two lions have lived at the George H. Carroll Lion Habitat on the UNA campus since 2003.
In a letter to UNA’s president, Dr. Ken Kitts, PETA offered “condolences” on Una’s death while offering to help place Leo in “an accredited sanctuary.”
The letter makes no allegation of specific mistreatment of the animals, saying that “even in the best conditions, a busy campus is no place for a lion.”
“By retiring Leo III, you could cement UNA’s legacy of compassion and respect for lions, who have long represented the school’s team and traditions,” the letter continues, before asking for the live mascot tradition to be permanently ended.
“In the wake of Netflix’s wildly popular series Tiger King, the public has never been more aware of and concerned about the issues surrounding big cats in captivity. Lions are the most social of the big cats and spend their days foraging and actively defending their large territory,” the letter states. “Since he was brought to UNA as a cub, Leo III has never had that opportunity, and with Una’s passing, he faces living the remainder of his life in solitary confinement.”
A release from PETA about the letter concluded that PETA “opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview.”
“PETA is eager to help Una’s brother live out the rest of his days in a vast habitat, with a chance to be surrounded by other lions,” PETA Foundation deputy general counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet added in a statement. “Retiring Leo and ending the live-animal mascot program would show enormous respect for lions—something UNA could take pride in.”
The habitat in which Leo lives on-campus at UNA has received 15 consecutive 100% ratings from the U.S. Department of Agriculture when they make unannounced visits for inspections, according to the university.
In 2012, Leo and Una were ranked the best live animal mascot in college football; UNA was the only non-Division I institution to make the list.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
