(Getty Images | Inset from Animal Planet)Think about
Mike Tyson and it's doubtful pigeons come to mind, but it turns out the former heavyweight champion and ex-convict is a life-long pigeon fancier. And a new show on Animal Planet will follow Iron Mike's foray into the world of pigeon racing.
"I may have stopped fighting," Mike
told the New York Post. "But I never stopped flying birds. It's my first love."
The show will be called
Take On Tyson, and will give audiences a rare glimpse into New York's time-honored (though sometimes controversial) sport of rooftop pigeon racing. Mike's many pigeons will be trained by a racing veteran named Vinnie Torre, who will hopefully take him from novice to champ in an all new field.
Tyson says he's owned pigeons since he was a kid and even says he got in his first fight after an older kid hurt one of his birds. Animal Planet president Marjorie Kaplan said in a press release that viewers will be surprised at this side of Iron Mike.
"It takes my breath away," Kaplan says. "Tyson has raised pigeons all his life. In fact, his first-ever fight as a child was in defense of his birds."
Of course, PETA is not happy about the concept for the show. In a statement released by the organization, President Ingrid Newkirk said, "Animal Planet needs more programs like
Whale Wars and
Animal Cops in which people go to bat for animals and fewer programs that showcase cruelty and profiteering at animals' expense."
Photos: Mike Tyson on Dancing with the Stars
(Getty Images | Inset from Animal Planet)
