Mike the Tiger shouldn’t live on campus. There is no reason to keep him at the University just to entertain students, teachers and passersby.
Tigers are wild animals and need space to roam around. Mike sits in his cage all day alone with barely anywhere to explore. The only reason the University insists on keeping Mike is for bragging rights.
Wild animals do not belong in cages unless they are injured, when they can’t fend for themselves in the wild and would die anyway. Mike I, II and III were all purchased tigers. Mike IV to VII were rescue tigers.
The last tiger the University owned, Mike VI, was diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma in May 2016 and died in October 2016. After Mike VI passed away, there shouldn’t have been a replacement tiger. Having a live tiger is a tradition for the University, but it’s one that should’ve ended a long time ago.
The Bengal tiger is an endangered species. There are less than 2,500 in Asia today and the population is rapidly decreasing. Mike should have been able to have a quality life in the wild. Quality doesn’t mean dinners placed in front of him, a personal pool to play in and a mansion of a cage. This isn’t the life of a wild animal. Tigers like Mike should be roaming miles per day, catching their own prey and living among other tigers.
Mike wasn’t the only captive tiger in Louisiana. Tony the Tiger lived at a gas station off I-10. Tony lived in his cage with three other tigers until 2003. The United States Department of Agriculture removed the other three tigers and allowed the gas station owner to keep Tony because the cage was technically big enough for one tiger. Tony’s cage was close to gas pumps and he had no choice but to inhale the fumes all day. Tony died in October 2017 and the Animal Legal Defense Fund is trying to make sure the gas station doesn’t buy a new tiger.
Mike’s cage is large and he is well cared for, but he still doesn’t have the space he needs or the company of other tigers. Tony’s cage was small and he was on the side of a highway next to a gas station without proper treatment. Though these are vastly different scenarios, neither should have been allowed to take place.
Other universities have live mascots that are appropriate to have on a college campus. University of Texas at Austin’s mascot is a Texas longhorn. Texas longhorns don’t need space to run around like tigers do. University of Georgia’s mascot is a bulldog, Texas A&M University’s mascot is a Collie and the University of Washington mascot is a husky. These are all domestic animals that typically live in houses. The University should consider adopting a Bengal cat instead of a Bengal tiger.
Ashlon Lusk is an 18-year-old mass communication freshman from Houston, Texas.
