4B = THEUNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11,2002
Mascots CONTINUED FROM 1B
All potential Masked Riders must pass a written exam on horse knowledge, compete in a riding contest and demonstrate proficiency driving a truck and trailer. The field is then narrowed to five for oral interviews conducted by an panel comprised of athletics department staff, former riders, students and university administrators. The winner of the year-long appointment receives a $1,000 scholarship from Wells Fargo, the main sponsor of the Masked Rider program.
Rhodes said that the skill level of the rider or the care of the horse didn't affect PETA's position; the life of a mascot was not ideal. She cited the amount of time Midnight spent traveling from event to event in the back of a trailer. Between April and August 2002 Melvin and Midnight put nearly 10,000 miles on the program's truck and trailer, Melvin said.
The trailer proved to be a dangerous place for Black Phantom Raider, a former Texas Tech mascot.
While driving to an appearance, a car crashed into the trailer, killing the horse.
After the accident, PETA sent a letter to the school, asking it to
Conference Critters Live animals serve as mascots for five Big 12 Conference schools.
Baylor Joy and Lady (bears)
Colorado Ralphie IV (buffalo)
Texas Bevo V (longhorn steer)
Texas A&M Reveille VII (collie)
Texas Tech Midnight Matador (quarter horse)
Baylor has also faced PETA's criticism. The university's 70 - year tradition of using live bears as mascots is one of the most controversial in the nation.
discontinue the Masked Rider program. They have not received a response.
The school keeps its bears in the center of its Waco, Texas Campus. The pair live in a shelter enclosed in a chainlink fence. During the day, they stay outside in an adjoining bear pit which consists of a ground level, concrete, circular peninsula above a surrounding moat. The bears and facility are cared for by members of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce.
Adam Ylatitalo, a senior and member of the Chamber, is in charge of training and caring for lov and Lady. He spends 5 to 6
hours each day feeding the bears and cleaning their pens, he said.
Bobby, in 1996.
Shortly after Bobby
arrived, Carroccio said, a former student trainer from Baylor gave her staff some advice for disciplining the former mascot.
"He said if Bobby were to misbehave, you could kick him in the genitalia." Carroccio said.
Carroccio maintains Bobby exhibited neurotic behavior, caused by his cramped quarters and poor diet at Baylor. He also had cavities — an effect of Oreos and Dr Pepper he was fed as treats.
Texas' Bevo V appears at football games, alumni events and President Bush's inauguration. The former national grand champion steer has served as mascot for 15 seasons.
Also at issue is the turnover of mascots at the Baylor. The school keeps the bears until they are unmanageable in a school setting. Brumley said. That time depends on each bear, he said, and the university has kept animals as long as 10 years. Joy and Lady are Baylor's second and third bears in the past six years. Once retired, the mascots are sent Bear Country USA — a drive-through zoo in South Dakota.
Baylor hasn't fed its mascots either treat since 1996, shortly after it discovered Bobby's dental problems, said Baylor's Brumley. He also denied that any bears had been mistreated and said he did not think Carroccio was qualified to diagnose Bobby's neurosis.
"Understand that the Austin Zoo is a private zoo — it's not a municipal zoo," Brumley said. "It's basically a big animal collection for Cindy."
Contributed art
"It's certainly not something to boast about, sending animals to this terrible place," Rhodes said.
Neither PETA nor Carroccio have a high opinion of Bear Country.
Carroccio said she just wanted Baylor to expand its facility,keep its retired bears and provide a more natural habitat than the concrete floors Joy and
Baylor University is under fire for the treatment of its live mascots. Joy, left, and Lady are the school's second and third bears in the past six years.
Lady live on.
"In a perfect world, they would keep these two bears, keep them in better place and possibly add more bears," she said. "The could create a bear sanctuary. The bears would still be a symbol of the university, but they would be much more noble. I think it would speak volumes about the university."
Bevo, a former grand champion steer, resides on a ranch an hour north of Austin, where he receives, according to Texas' Ryan the best possible care. Reveille lives in a 'Texas A&M dorm with her handler.
Texas' longhorn, Bevo, and Texas A&M's American Collie, Reveille VII, are two examples of live animal mascots kept in a more humane and natural environment, she said.
Despite his posh surroundings, the Bevo's handling is still criticized. The bulk of complaints stem from the steer's thin appearance. Now serving his 15th season as the Texas mascot, the 18-year-old Bevo's hip bones
Bevo may have escaped Carrocchio's objection, but that does not mean Texas' mascot program is without its critics.
had become more prominent in recent years, which, Ryan dismisses as typical of an older steer
When members of the Silver Spurs obliged newly elected President Bush's request to have Bevo present at his 2000 inauguration, the group was met by PETA protesters, Ryan said. Protesters said Bevo had no place at the ceremony and was being abused.
Rhodes said PETA was more concerned with the Baylor bears, but it did not condone the Bevo tradition.
"It's just out of ignorance that people make these claims," Ryan said.
"With the exception of the collie, we are concerned about all those animals," Rhodes said. "We just have to pick and choose where we can spend our resources."
PETA does not object to Texas A&M's collie because dogs are are normally comfortable at home with people, Rhodes said. PETA would have a problem with it only if the 2-year-old dog was mistreated or kept in a kennel, she said.
Revelle's life is far removed from that situation, said Mascot Cpl. Jordan Caddick.
"We have the joke that she is the most pampered dog in America," he said. "If she looks like she is too tired, we'll carry her up the stairs."
Caddick is a sophomore in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, the organization responsible for caring for Reveille. Caddick said handing the dog over to her next caretaker next year would be difficult.
"She lives in the dorm with me," he said. "She goes everywhere I go. She goes home for Christmas with me. She goes to class with me. We're pretty much joined at the hip."
— Edited by Andy Samuelson Contact Murphy at dmurphy@kansan.com.
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ATTENTION ALL TRADITION KEEPERS!
FREE your mind with a FREE meal.
Finals Dinner for Tradition Keeper Members
Monday, December 16 | Adams Alumni Center Stop by anytime between 5 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
We'll dish up an awesome gourmet buffet that is sure to cure your finals woes! Relax with a free shoulder massage and enjoy many other FREE perks!
Please RSVP to traditionkeepers@kualumni.org by December 12th.
(If you haven't already received your Tradition Keeper benefits package, you can pick it up at dinner)
Kansas Alumni Association
Stop by the Adams Alumni Center at 1266 Oread Avenue if you'd like to become a Tradition Keeper. Finals Dinner is one of the many benefits of membership in the Kansas Alumni Association. Rock Chalk and good luck on finals!
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