“Live animals don’t belong at sporting events, unlike star athletes who are making the choice to be there,” said Ashley Byrne, an associate director with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who is a University of Colorado graduate. “Mascots don’t get to choose anything about the way they live. They spend time in the middle of stadiums with drunk rowdy screaming crowds.”

In a blog post on the PETA website, the organization quotes professional athletes making the case for using costumed humans as mascots.

Ms. Byrne said the use of Ralphie V was not natural. “Not only are you forcing a buffalo into a very stressful situation, you are putting everyone in that stadium within their range in danger,” she said.

Male buffaloes weigh up to 2,000 pounds, and females up to 1,000 pounds. Buffaloes are notoriously antisocial animals, preferring to have little contact with humans.

“You feed them, you give them water, you leave them alone, and they get happy,” said Dorreen Ossenkop , who runs the Adirondack Buffalo Company of North Hudson, about 100 miles north of Albany, with her husband, Steve. At their business, people can see their herd of 28 buffaloes from the safety of a deck.

“They are very territorial and very much don’t like people,” she said, adding that they are fairly calm as long as they are left alone.

“You don’t rile them up,” Ms. Ossenkop said. “They will get very aggressive and very nasty and they’ll attack anything.” She also noted that they are extremely strong and agile.