After some anticipation, Mike Tyson's pigeon racing show finally premiered on Animal Planet this week. The former boxing champion's six-part series, "Taking on Tyson," has brought new attention to pigeon racing: the News takes a look at some old school "pigeon junkies" who keep birds on rooftops in Bed-Stuy. "People don't realize pigeons are just like dogs and cats. They think they're the same as the birds pooping all over their property," said Anthony Martire, who breeds and races homing pigeons. But not everyone is thrilled with the sport.
The day of "Taking on Tyson's" premiere, approximately 20 members of PETA protested outside his home. Members of PETA told the Jersey Journal that 60 percent of the pigeons never return from the long races, which could be span as much as 600 miles: "These animals are not racing because they enjoy it. It's out of desperation that they make it back. The birds race their hearts out in order to get home to their life mates and become lost in storms or have their necks wrung for failing to beat their competitors' time," said Lisa Lange.
Tyson countered their claims, saying the birds were taken better care of than most: "They have plenty of food, fresh water, and vitamins daily. I've always loved breeding and raising pigeons, ever since I was a child. I care deeply for their well-being and they have provided me with tranquility throughout my entire life." And he's not kidding about his life-long love of the birds; in the first episode of the show, he revealed that he threw his first punch over a pigeon: "The guy ripped the head off my pigeon. This was the first thing I ever loved in my life, the pigeon."
