PETA Calls Out Buffalo For Having Bison Calf At Stadium

The energy and emotions where high all day on Thursday, September 17, 2026, as the hours ticked closer to 8:15 pm when the Buffalo Bills would play their very first regular season game at the brand new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

With more than 60,000 fans heading to the stadium to watch the game, and thousands more congregating around and near the stadium to tailgate or just experience the ambiance, the Bills organization had plenty of things for people as they got ready for kickoff.

Not only did kids in Orchard Park get out of school early, inside the stadium the team had actress and singer Auliʻi Cravalho on hand to sing the American National Anthem, the Barenaked Ladies to sing the Canadian Anthem, and OneRepublic to do the first ever halftime performance at a Bills home game. Outside of the stadium there were all sorts of fun activities happening around the stadium and along the Highmark Trail.

However, it seems that one activity in particular has ruffled the fur of the animal rights organization PETA.

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The Buffalo Bills had a baby bison named Bruce on display at the stadium before the game for people to interact with. Bruce, who's from the Maple Ridge Bisons Ranch, was sporting a blue Bills chain while hanging in a pen that was that Buffalo red, white, and blue all around it. While many folks around the stadium thought it was cute, it seems that the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals did not.

PETA, which was founded in 1980 by Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco, issued a statement on Facebook and Instagram condemning the Bills, saying in part that Bruce shouldn't be used as a prop and chastising the team to do better.

The Buffalo News were able to speak with a spokesperson from PETA who expanded on your postion

Sports organizations should set positive examples, and using live animals sends the message that animals exist for people’s amusement. Bringing the animal to a crowded, bustling stadium environment fails to account for the animal’s own interests and needs, according to the advocacy group. If the bison is a symbol of strength and pride for the team, the most respectful way to honor that is to leave real bison alone.
-Klay Rutherford, PETA Foundation Director of Captive Wildlife Advocacy speaking to the Buffalo News