Keep Speaking Up for Bing the Bearcat! Binghamton U Apparently Heeds PETA’s Cease and Desist Over Facebook Censorship

Update (November 4, 2024): Following a cease and desist demand from PETA Foundation lawyers, Binghamton University has stopped deleting comments and blocking users on Facebook for criticizing its decision to use Bing, a 6-month-old binturong, as a mascot at school events.

The letter—which was sent in September on behalf of PETA and Evan Oakley, whose comments criticizing the move had been blocked—pointed out that because the publicly funded institution’s Facebook page constitutes a public forum, censoring such posts amounted to unconstitutional viewpoint-based discrimination.

Binturongs usually enjoy solitude outside the mother-infant social group. These primarily nocturnal animals spend most of their daytime hours sleeping in treetops in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia—their natural habitat. PETA is still calling for the university to stop using a live animal as a prop—but now, at least, the school isn’t silencing critics who speak up for him.

Keep reading to learn more about Bing, PETA’s cease and desist letter to Binghamton University, and what you can do to help:

Update (September 24, 2024): Binghamton U Slammed With Cease and Desist Over Facebook Censorship

PETA slammed Binghamton University with a cease and desist letter, calling on the school to stop deleting comments or blocking Facebook users criticizing its decision to use a months-old binturong (aka a bearcat) named Bing as a live mascot.

The school has apparently deleted comments made by PETA supporters expressing concerns for the binturong, an animal red-listed as “vulnerable” by a globally recognized conservation and extinction assessment group. One PETA member seems to have been blocked from viewing the school’s Facebook page after pointing out that Bing—a naturally solitary animal—is likely distressed when humans force him into crowded stadiums full of screaming fans. PETA’s demand points out that the school’s apparent censorship is a violation of free speech.

Originally posted on August 12, 2024:

PETA Urges Binghamton University President to Scrap Plans for Exploiting a Live Bearcat as a Mascot

Binghamton University is apparently throwing its core values of “unity” and “excellence” out the window, as the school is planning to exploit a 5-month-old binturong (or bearcat) named Bing as a mascot for sporting events.

In a letter to the school’s president, PETA urged him to use only costumed human mascots: “Unlike other animals, humans can lead cheers, interact with crowds, and pump up the team—all willingly.” Binghamton University already has a mascot named Baxter—a human in a bearcat costume—so it can easily continue to celebrate school spirit without exploiting another animal.

Using Live Animals as Mascots Is Cruel and Dangerous

Binturongs are sensitive animals who lead largely solitary lives high in the rainforest canopies of Southeast Asia. Forcing Bing into a stadium full of bright lights, screaming fans, and flash photographers would likely cause him extreme distress.

Using live animals as props at sporting events has been a recipe for disaster. At the 2019 Sugar Bowl, Bevo the longhorn steer charged at—and nearly trampled—Uga the bulldog. That same year, a running back crashed into Mississippi State University’s mascot, Bully the bulldog. Many other animals have sustained injuries while being paraded around at sporting events. Even in the best circumstances, using live-animal mascots is speciesist and cruel.

Live Animal Mascots May Come From Seedy Suppliers

In addition to racking up a laundry list of federal Animal Welfare Act violations, Animal Adventure Park—the roadside zoo that supplied Bing to Binghamton University—shamelessly livestreamed a giraffe named April giving birth. The tourist trap used her as a breeding machine for years before she died in 2021.

Here’s What YOU Can Do

Animals don’t want to be forced to “perform” in front of raucous crowds at school events. If your university exploits live-animal mascots, urge your administration to switch to using costumed human mascots instead. Don’t support or attend events that exploit live animals for entertainment.

You can take action by urging Binghamton University to use only costumed human mascots and to cut ties with the roadside zoo that supplied Bing.