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Baltimore is training real ravens as mascots

Trainer even teaching birds to mimic words 'touchdown' and 'Go Ravens'

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updated 4:15 p.m. ET June 27, 2008

BALTIMORE - Baltimore Ravens fans could see real ravens this season.

A trainer in Georgia is working with two eight-week old ravens, hoping to have them ready to fly around M&T Bank Stadium before home games this season. Ravens officials plan to have one of the birds fly out of the tunnel players use to run onto the field.

The Ravens’ vice president for marketing, Gabrielle Dow, thought of the idea after seeing a trained hawk at a Seattle Seahawks game.

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Trainer Daniel Walthers says he is even teaching the birds to mimic the words “touchdown,” and “Go Ravens.”

The birds are not native to Baltimore. They are an African variety because it is illegal to keep or train migratory birds native to this country.

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