Students are not the only residents on campus saying goodbye for the semester. Mike the Tiger said farewell to his home outside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Tuesday afternoon while members of the Tiger Athletic Foundation looked on.
Mike has moved to his new temporary home in the Baton Rouge Zoo, but he will not be on display for curious onlookers. Instead, Mike will be under tight security and surveillance.
“The cage Mike has right now is too small,” said David Baker, Mike’s veterinarian. “Mike paces all day, and biologists have found that tigers pace up to 40 miles a day.”
Mike said goodbye to a 2,000 square foot cage and will move to his new 15,000 square foot habitat in roughly nine months.
“I am not sure when the demolition will begin,” said Herb Vincent, associate athletics director for external affairs. “But I know the first thing they are going to do is replant the oak tree that is going to be in the middle of his cage because it is a fairly tedious project.”
The “I Like Mike” fundraising campaign to build Mike a new habitat began in the fall of 2001, and in three short years, Mike lovers have donated enough money to begin the project.
Vincent said a groundbreaking ceremony for Mike’s new cage will be held sometime in the near future and should be completed by next football season.