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The theme for this year's BorderFest is "Celebrating Australia" but an act at the annual event upset animal rights activists from the Land Down Under.

The annual Hidalgo festival dropped a sideshow act featuring a boxing kangaroo amid the controversy.

The Rocky Show Circus was scheduled to appear at BorderFest on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The act features a kangaroo named "Rocky" who wears boxing shorts and boxing gloves and then spars with owner Javier Martinez -- all to the theme song from the movie "Rocky".

Male kangaroos naturally spar with rivals but carinval entertainers have long used them for "boxing" acts.

PETA and other animal rights activists have labeled the entertainment an act of animal cruelty.

Several reporters from Australia called Action 4 News reporting that Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and other politicians were weighing in on the issue.

Kraft Food is a sponsor of this year's BorderFest, whose theme "Celebrating Australia" was meant to bring cultural understanding of the Land Down Under.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper from Sydney reported that Kraft Foods Australia, the maker of Vegemite, that issued a press release saying the kangaroo boxing act had been pulled.

"We understand the BorderFest Association, which organises this annual cultural celebration, has apologised for offending anyone, particularly the people of Australia, with the kangaroo boxing display," Kraft spokesman Simon Talbot told The Daily Telegraph.

A flag featuring a boxing kangaroo also caused a controversy at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver when organizers wanted to take it down at an event.

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