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Ralphie V - Retired - Thanks, Blackout!

TSchekler said:
Yeah but they keep their hard core base in agreement and donating
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Not Sure said:
So it’s more about making money than saving animals. They have become what they say they despise.
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Yup, it's all about the bucks.

PETA knows that a big part of the population isn't going to take them seriously. They also know that they can get a response from a different part of the population that includes donations, so these are the people this stuff is aimed at.

Ted Turner who donated Blackout to the Ralphie program is and has been a huge proponent of humane treatment of animals. He has been a leader in promoting ranching practices (both for buffalo and for cattle) that put the health and safety of the animals first.

If there was any reason to think that the mascot program at CU was in any way cruel to the animal I doubt that Mr. Turner would be putting his support behind it.

That doesn't matter to PETA though. If they can generate some shock effect, get some headlines the know that they can keep the money rolling in and keep the attention focused on them.
 
J.R. Ewing said:
PETA spent a ton of money putting up a billboard in downtown Houston urging people to stop wearing wool sweaters. This is what a sheep looks like that isn't shorn.

View attachment 32694
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LOL - I'm pretty sure this is Shrek the Merino; my husband and I have actually been in the little museum dedicated to him in Tarras, New Zealand.

I posted about animal treatment in the "Vacation" thread today. In short, we are all somewhat hypocritical when it comes to animal treatment (I will gladly eat a cow, as long as I don't know it - I had guinea pigs as pets in my life, but I tried eating one in Peru). The best we can do, really, is try to make life as comfortable for animals as we can, which is what PETA should be striving for. Instead, they essentially want to rid the world of domesticated animals; they'd rather those animals don't exist rather than suffer the "cruelty" of being kept by humans.

It seems irrelevant to them that nature is red in tooth and claw.
 
DisraeliEars said:
LOL - I'm pretty sure this is Shrek the Merino; my husband and I have actually been in the little museum dedicated to him in Tarras, New Zealand.

I posted about animal treatment in the "Vacation" thread today. In short, we are all somewhat hypocritical when it comes to animal treatment (I will gladly eat a cow, as long as I don't know it - I had guinea pigs as pets in my life, but I tried eating one in Peru). The best we can do, really, is try to make life as comfortable for animals as we can, which is what PETA should be striving for. Instead, they essentially want to rid the world of domesticated animals; they'd rather those animals don't exist rather than suffer the "cruelty" of being kept by humans.

It seems irrelevant to them that nature is red in tooth and claw.
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You are right about nature, it can be much more cruel than humans.

The town I live in has a huge overpopulation of deer. They are destroying a lot of the natural vegetation as well as frequently getting hit by cars and other issues.

There is a proposal to conduct a culling of the herd to reduce it to a more manageable level. A number of people have responded to this by claiming that the killing of the deer will be cruel and painful. The current proposal is looking at having archery hunters under the supervision of DOPW officers.

What these people don't want to recognize is that with the overpopulation there is a high likelihood that the deer herd with be hit with a contagious disease resulting in a slow painful death of the animals. The other highly likely outcome is if we have a severe winter seeing widespread starvation of the deer in which even the survivors suffer for an extended time.

A lot of the domestic animals can't and wouldn't exist without human intervention.

I also doubt that my dog sees anything wrong with being "kept" by our family. She gets sad every morning when the kids leave for school and is not completely calm as long as one of us is not in the house.
 
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WarBuff said:
Blackout was rescued from the jaws of a coyote. She has probably never been in as much danger as when she was in the wild. Perhaps PETA should have one of their members stick their head into a coyotes jaws and inform us on how much better it is than being safe.
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Honestly, even if Colorado doesn’t stop using a live buffalo as its mascot, PETA has already won: they’re getting free publicity and a debate about the merits/treatment of a live mascot.
 
manhattanbuf said:
Honestly, even if Colorado doesn’t stop using a live buffalo as its mascot, PETA has already won: they’re getting free publicity and a debate about the merits/treatment of a live mascot.
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I sure hope you are wrong on this, but wouldn’t be surprised if you weren’t.
 
WarBuff said:
I sure hope you are wrong on this, but wouldn’t be surprised if you weren’t.
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My wife is a member of PETA. She loves animals more than most people. She has a genius level IQ and is the smartest person I know. She is extremely level-headed.

This is why she’s a member of PETA - while their arguments are extreme, their publicity efforts help to improve the conditions that animals live in with humans. In this thread as a response to PETA, we’ve addressed the dangers Blackout faced prior to becoming Ralphie V, the quality of her care, and the amazing life she now leads.

People are more aware of how animals can be mistreated in these situations. The University and the Ralphie program will ensure that they will continue to be diligent about treating Blackout and all future Ralphies with TLC. Even if PETA doesn’t get programs to stop using live mascots, the welfare of the animals is now a substantial priority. That’s a victory for PETA.
 
WarBuff said:
SIAP but the slides and stories are wonderful. If nothing else has gone right during her tenure, Blackout has stolen our hearts and souls.


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My favorite story from this piece

"It was the first time we ever tried to actually run Blackout in the U formation and we took her to the Adams County Fairgrounds. No one knew we had a new buffalo yet so the practice was a secret. We were planning to run her in the big Rodeo arena. Everyone’s adrenaline was high for the first run and we were all so excited to see her go. Go she went. She shook off all the handlers on ropes in the first 50 feet. With total shock we realized there was a gate open to the calf pen at the end of the arena and the calf pen gate was wide open. Blackout realized it at the same moment we did and before we could react she was out for a romp in Adams County. I still don’t really know how we got her back. I’m pretty sure she let us catch her and bring her back to the arena. We couldn’t have done it otherwise. I never failed to check any and all gates from then on."
 
manhattanbuf said:
Honestly, even if Colorado doesn’t stop using a live buffalo as its mascot, PETA has already won: they’re getting free publicity and a debate about the merits/treatment of a live mascot.
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To a degree, yes. But mostly they’re shining a spotlight on their myopic and misguided objectives. I think they do a lot more harm to their cause than good. I think the additional exposure helps solidify their standing with those who already share their viewpoints, and probably help drive donations from those very same people. It does nothing to expand their influence, though. It really just makes them look stupid.
 
MtnBuff said:
You are right about nature, it can be much more cruel than humans.

The town I live in has a huge overpopulation of deer. They are destroying a lot of the natural vegetation as well as frequently getting hit by cars and other issues.

There is a proposal to conduct a culling of the herd to reduce it to a more manageable level. A number of people have responded to this by claiming that the killing of the deer will be cruel and painful. The current proposal is looking at having archery hunters under the supervision of DOPW officers.

What these people don't want to recognize is that with the overpopulation there is a high likelihood that the deer herd with be hit with a contagious disease resulting in a slow painful death of the animals. The other highly likely outcome is if we have a severe winter seeing widespread starvation of the deer in which even the survivors suffer for an extended time.

A lot of the domestic animals can't and wouldn't exist without human intervention.

I also doubt that my dog sees anything wrong with being "kept" by our family. She gets sad every morning when the kids leave for school and is not completely calm as long as one of us is not in the house.
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I don’t think my dogs mind that they have a warm home and comfy couches to lay on either.

FF185791-B470-45C2-B047-E8B789FE2F3D.jpeg
 
Everyone’s favorite Baylor Bears have a very large Bear enclosure on campus. It’s pretty cool. It wouldn’t be practical but a cool buffalo enclosure down by the practice field would be pretty cool for recruiting. Even if it’s just a hangout place for V
 
WarBuff said:
Blackout was rescued from the jaws of a coyote. She has probably never been in as much danger as when she was in the wild. Perhaps PETA should have one of their members stick their head into a coyotes jaws and inform us on how much better it is than being safe.
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I think you might be confusing her back story with that of Ralphie IV (aka Rowdy).

Ralphie IV was donated to the university by media and sports entrepreneur Ted Turner in 1998. Born in April 1997 on the Flying D Ranch in Gallatin Gateway, Montana (one of Turner's Ranches), she was named "Rowdy" by ranch hands. She was separated from her mother when she was about a month old and was literally found in the jaws of a coyote with bite marks around her neck. She survived the attack and was bottle-fed by the hands for four months. She was released back to the herd but wouldn't bond with them, so the ranch hands took her back in and fed her grasses and grain. It was then that she was donated to CU as a yearling early in the spring of 1998.
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Get your furry friend his/her own Ralphie:
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Big Sky Bison

The Bison Plush Dog Toy is brought to life by using excess fabric from West Paw’s Big Sky Blanket. This eco-friendly method keeps waste out of the landfill while bringing a little Montana inspiration to your home. Fleecy soft and filled with eco-friendly IntelliLoft® made from recycled plastic...
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click the link to see the picture.
 
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