PETA Protests Mike Tyson's Pigeon Racing TV Show

PETA, the animal rights activist group, is now going ape over Mike Tyson's new TV show where he attempts to fly to the heights of the pigeon racing world.

The new series, "Taking on Tyson," which debuted Sunday on Animal Planet, follows Iron Mike around as he immerses himself in the world of pigeon racing. But PETA members think the series is a birdbrained idea and protested Monday outside of his Las Vegas home.

Mike Tyson stars in 'Taking on Tyson,' a pigeon racing show on Animal Planet

Mel Evans, AP

The animal rights group PETA is protesting former boxing great Mike Tyson because they believe his new hobby, pigeon racing, is cruel.

The group has problems with both Tyson and pigeon racing in general. Members believe he has shown disrespect for animals in the past, such as the time he claimed that his former "pet" tigers "liked" being punched in the testicles and face.

As far as pigeon racing goes, PETA officials claim that racing pigeons are forced to fly hundreds of miles in all weather extremes as they attempt to get home, and are are vulnerable to both natural predators such as hawks and cruel humans who view them as "pests."

However, Karen Clifton, executive director of the American Racing Pigeon Union, says pigeon racers are, more than anything, animal lovers and take great care with their birds.

"Pigeon racers spend a lot of money giving their birds special diets to maintain health, including minerals in their water and ground-up oyster shells to help their digestion," she said.

The pigeons in this sport are bred to travel distances up to 600 miles at 45 mph.

"Every care is taken with the pigeons," Clifton said. "They are even basketed in a very specific manner."

In addition, the ARPU rules are very stringent. For instance, steroid eyedrops have been banned from the sport for the last 20 years.

Bill Mitiu, a pigeon racer who lives in Spring Hill, Fla., says pigeons are carefully picked before being trained.

"You look for a bird with muscles on the breast and a tight back end, or vent," he told AOL News. "You also want a short forearm and a long wing, and narrow feathers for the wind to pass through."

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One of the reasons why the birds are treated well, he said, is their cost. Not only is building a loft potentially expensive, depending on the size, but a good racing pigeon can sell for as much as $140,000.

But Mitiu says there is also a personal aspect to raising pigeons. "They're smart," he said. "After a while, they'll fly around for a while and come to you when they call."

Tyson hasn't commented on the protest, but it could be argued he is as much a supporter of animal rights as the organization is. In fact, he got into his first fight at age 11 when a bully ripped the head off of one of his pet pigeons.

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