It is said that when Louis XIII was on his deathbed, he was visited by his then five-year-old son. When he asked the boy if he knew who he was, the future king said, “Louis the Fourteenth, father.” The dying king responded, “You are not the fourteenth, yet.”
When an 11-month-old predominantly Bengal tiger named Harvey moved into the tiger habitat on Aug. 15, he was not Mike VII yet. On Aug. 21, “yet” came to pass, and Harvey began his reign as Mike VII. Here’s a look at how we got here:
May 23, 2016:
On May 23, The Daily Reveille reported that Mike VI was diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. Without radiation, Mike VI would have had an estimated 1-2 months, but radiation could have extended that to 1-2 high-quality years. Mike’s veterinarian David Baker said his students noticed a swelling under Mike’s right eye on May 1, and on May 12, he was sedated and brought to the vet school for tests. After a CT scan, specialists at the University and other institutions determined Mike had a lemon-sized tumor near his nose. It was also announced Mike would be brought to Mary Bird Perkins-Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center for treatment.
“The tumor is inoperable,” Baker said. “The condition is incurable.”
June 1, 2016:
On June 1, LSU Media Relations announced Mike VI had been anesthetized and brought to the Mary Bird Perkins-Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center for stereotactic radiation therapy, or SRT. The treatment was carried out using an Elekta Versa HD dosing system, one of the most advanced radiotherapy systems, delivering one dose of radiation that was expected to allow Mike to live comfortably for 1-2 years. Additionally, support for Mike was pouring in from universities and fans from around the country.
October 5, 2016
On Oct. 5, Baker announced Mike VI had 1-2 months to live. Mike’s cancer had resumed growth and spread to his lungs and legs. Baker said Mike would be euthanized and not allowed to suffer.
“We will not allow Mike to suffer,” Baker said. “We will monitor him closely every day and will humanely euthanize him when the time comes. This is about treating Mike with dignity, compassion and respect.”
The University said they would create an in-house hospice so the LSU community could say its goodbyes.
It was also announced that the search for Mike VII had begun. The University had planned to obtain a tiger from a rescue facility.
October 11, 2016
On Oct. 11, The Daily Reveille reported Mike VI had been euthanized in his night house. The previous day, Mike had been moved into hospice. The University announced there would be no formal memorial service, though the community was encouraged to share memories, stories and photos on social media using the hashtag #MikeVI. Mike VI’s remains were cremated and placed in the LSU Sports Museum alongside the remains of Mike IV and Mike V.
February 9, 2017
On Feb. 9, The Daily Reveille reported LSU was remodeling the tiger habitat in anticipation of Mike VII. The renovations were aimed at making the habitat an accredited tiger sanctuary. As part of these efforts, it was announced Mike would no longer be asked to visit home games in his cage. The University also said its vision was to have a new tiger mascot by August 2017.
August 1, 2017
On Aug. 1, it was announced via news release that the University had possibly found its new mascot and that it would be arriving later in the month. The press release stated Baker had found a tiger that could be the next Mike. It was a young tiger with Siberian and Bengal characteristics, living at a Florida rescue facility at that time. The news release stated there would be a one-week quarantine period when the tiger arrived, and if that went well, the tiger would be released into his yard and officially become Mike VII.
August 16, 2017
On Aug. 16, the University announced the potential new Mike had arrived on campus. The 11-month-old tiger, then named Harvey, had been brought in on Aug. 15 and began the quarantine period. The announcement coincided with Move-in Day for University students.
August 21, 2017
The day had finally come. “Yet” had arrived. On Aug. 21, the first day of classes for the 2017 fall semester, the University announced Harvey had been released into his habitat and officially became Mike VII. His daily schedule will start at 8 a.m. and he will return to his night house at 8 p.m.
Mike the Tiger paces Friday, Jan. 24, 2013 in his habitat.
