Tigers in the wild will now have a helping hand from those in the LSU Tiger community.
The University announced the new Tiger Conservation Fund on Oct. 13, which aims to support University students’ efforts to save tigers in the wild, according to a press release.
“Out of love for our great mascot, we have developed the LSU Tiger Conservation Fund to make sure that tigers not only survive, but will one day thrive in their natural habitats,” said LSU President F. King Alexander in a press release.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, tigers are an endangered species, with only around 3,890 left in the world. The University has come under fire from organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in the past for this reason, among others.
In 2016, PETA released their most recent statement denouncing the University’s choice to use a live tiger, following the death of Mike VI.
“This sad day could mark a kind new beginning for LSU, where sensitive, intelligent tigers have been reduced to game-day props for decades,” PETA said in a statement. “PETA is calling on the university to honor Mike VI’s legacy by making him the last live mascot to be locked up in captivity and paraded around an unruly stadium. The last thing LSU should do is condemn yet another tiger to a lifetime of exploitation.”
In an interview with NPR on Sept. 1, director of PETA’s Captive Animals Law Enforcement Brittany Peet said, “It’s up to the facilities at LSU to ensure that they are providing the best care for the animals in their possession and the best care equals accreditation.”
Before the University became owners of Mike VII, the School of Veterinary Medicine staff and Tiger Athletic Foundation worked to upgrade the previous tiger habitat to a Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries accredited sanctuary. Part of the accreditation process meant Mike will no longer be brought onto the field during home football games.
“What [people] do is they get cubs, they breed cubs so people give them $100 to get their picture taken with them. Then when they grow out of being cubs they disband them and send them to places that aren’t licensed … there’s evidence they put them on the black market,” Alexander said in an interview with The Daily Reveille.
The University officially welcomed Mike VII to campus and his Animal Welfare Act and United States Department of Agriculture-approved habitat on Aug. 21. Mike VII was donated to the University from Wild at Heart Wildlife Center, a sanctuary in Okeechobee, Florida, according to a press release.
The introduction of the Tiger Conservation Fund comes as a part of the University’s association with the U.S. Tiger University Consortium. The Consortium partners the University with Auburn University, Clemson University and University of Missouri, all of which have tigers as their mascots. The Consortium is a piece of the Global Tiger Forum, which is under the World Bank’s Global Tiger Initiative. 
“Mike really is a rescue,” Alexander said. “He is a load of fun.”
According to the University’s Tiger Conservation Fund website, “these four universities are working to save tigers by raising awareness of the issue and by raising funds that will help the cause in various ways.”
The funds donated will go to causes including advancing science for the preservation of wild tigers in tiger range countries, creating a fellowship program for undergraduate, graduate and veterinary students interested in conducting research on tiger management and conservation and preparing University students for careers in wildlife management, conservation and ecosystem health, according to the fund’s website.
“As Louisiana’s flagship university, research is a key part of our mission,” Alexander said in a press release. “And this fund will allow our students to engage in work that will have a real impact on the wild tiger population.”
Dena Winegeart contributed to this report. 
 

Gallery • 1 Photos

Whitney Williston

Mike the Tiger sits in his habitat on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, on LSU campus.