diver 85
Contributor
It's being reported this morning, Mike V, LSU's live bengal tiger mascot passed away earlier today.......GEAUX BIG MIKE.
.......#6 is on his way hopefully...http://www.mikethetiger.com/
RIP big Mike...you were loved by all
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Fish_Whisperer
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Aw, man... What a beautiful creature!! I'm crazy about big cats. Sorry to hear that he died. 
RonFrank
Contributor
diver 85:
Man, when I read Mike V, I was thinking our own Mike V! Glad that ain't so.
I'm sure Tiger Mike was a cool animal, but as I did not know him.... He sure was a good looking chap!
OP
diver 85
Contributor
Fish_Whisperer:Aw, man... What a beautiful creature!! I'm crazy about big cats. Sorry to hear that he died.
As cats go, he lived a good one, was our mascot for 17 years(seasons) & had just moved into his new 3.5 million dollar on campus home, completed last year..........
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One of my favorite stories about Mike was actually about his predecessor, Mike IV. One year, Bear Bryant brought his Alabama Crimson Tide to Death Valley to play LSU, and as he and the players were coming down the ramp to approach the field, there was Mike, in his cage, at the foot of the ramp. Naturally, a few of the younger players that had never been to Tiger Stadium were a little startled.
"Now boys, don't yew worry about ole Mike here," Bryant told his younger players. "Y'see, he's older than I am!" :laughing:
"Now boys, don't yew worry about ole Mike here," Bryant told his younger players. "Y'see, he's older than I am!" :laughing:
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OP
diver 85
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ScubaTexan:
Here's our official answer as of today, Tuesday May 22, 2007.....
General Information, Media Advisory
LSU Response to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
05/22/2007 02:44 PM
Note: The following is Chancellor Sean O'Keefe's response to a letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) dated May 22, 2007 regarding LSU's plans to obtain a tiger.
May 22, 2007
Lisa Wathne
Captive Exotic Animal Specialist
PETA
501 Front St.
Norfolk, VA 23510
Dear Ms. Wathne:
Thank you for your May 22, 2007, letter concerning LSU’s mascot, Mike the Tiger.
Mike is a treasured member of the LSU family. There are 71 years of history behind Mike, and he represents the heart of our University.
LSU stands behind its treatment of its tigers. Their habitat and lifestyle are constantly monitored to ensure their well being, and they receive state-of-the-art veterinary medical care from the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, which can improve and extend the life of a big cat. This is evidenced by the fact that Mike V lived to be 17 years of age. Two of LSU’s tiger mascots, Mike I and Mike III, lived 19 years, and Mike IV lived 20 years 9 months and 18 days. The average lifespan for a tiger in the wild is about 8-10 years. A tiger in captivity, like Mike V, can live 14-18 years.
Our mascots live in an excellent tiger habitat, far better than most found in zoos. Solitary animals by nature, tigers do not congregate in the wild, and due to the alarming state of their species in the wild – tigers are already critically endangered and their numbers continue to shrink – efforts to maintain the integrity of the species will need to be conducted in captivity. The current enclosure is large enough for Mike to express normal species-specific behaviors, including roaming his enclosure. Captive tigers do not have to fight and risk injury to establish and defend their territories, secure mates, or hunt prey. They are also safe from poachers and are not subject to common and debilitating viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections.
Further, LSU is committed to the safe, responsible, and ethical care and handling of its tigers. Mike poses no danger to students, spectators at sporting events, visitors to his habitat, or the medical personnel who care for him. Contact is limited by strict order of the mascot’s trainer and veterinarian, as well as by policies established and enforced by the United States Department of Agriculture. During games, Mike is placed in a specially designed trailer. No persons are allowed to contact the tiger without a barrier between them and the tiger.
LSU’s tigers are treated with the love we give our mascots and all the respect we give wild animals. They are in no way inhumanely or cruelly treated, and their care and comfort are of the utmost importance to all members of the LSU community.
LSU has a federal permit to exhibit a tiger and abides by all animal welfare laws, regulations, and policies. The facility and care provided to LSU's Mike the Tiger exceed federal standards. Finally, it should be noted that LSU, in line with the University’s educational function, is in the process of developing a state-of-the-art tiger education center to educate the public about global conservation issues. The presence of a live tiger will augment the educational impact of the center. Thus, the presence of Mike VI on campus will move the mascot program into a greater educational role than was possible with previous tigers.
The School of Veterinary Medicine has already received dozens of offers for a new cub. We will not take a tiger cub from its mother; we will obtain a cub that has been weaned. And, LSU absolutely will not purchase a tiger from a private breeder, as we do not want to encourage irresponsible breeding of tigers. Dr. David Baker* will assess all offers and will also seek candidates through a list of established contacts, primarily zoos.
Again, thank you for writing. I hope that I have addressed some of your concerns.
Cordially,
Sean O'Keefe
Chancellor *Dr. David Baker is Mike the Tiger's veterinarian.
Kristine Calongne
LSU Media Relations
225-578-5985
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GEAUX TIGERS!
OP
diver 85
Contributor
Here's the latest stance from LSU officials....(PETA can go spit in the wind)....
Despite PETA protest, LSU plans to replace Tiger mascot Mike V
May 23, 2007
BATON ROUGE — The sequel is on.
There will be a Mike VI live tiger mascot in his habitat across the street from Tiger Stadium, LSU officials said Tuesday after PETA (the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) asked by letter that the university not put another tiger in captivity.
Mike V died Friday after emergency surgery at the age of 17. Dr. David Baker, the director of Laboratory Animal Medicine at the LSU Veterinary School, said then and again Tuesday that he plans to find a Mike VI.
"The LSU mascot is a part of LSU," Baker said. "We plan to get another one by football season."
LSU's two-year old, $3 million, 15,000-square foot, zoo-like habitat already has plaques for Mike VII, VIII, IX, X and so on above the main viewing area.
"Having a live Tiger at LSU is important to the students and is a tradition," Baker said.
PETA, though, does not want to see another Tiger cub "forcibly removed' from its mother for an unnatural life filled with stress. Lisa Wathne, a captive exotic animal specialist, sent a letter on PETA's behalf to LSU chancellor Sean O'Keefe that was received Tuesday.
"We are writing to express our sympathy over the death of Mike the tiger, and to urge the school not to replace him," the letter says. "Big cats in captivity are denied everything that is natural and important to them, such as the opportunity to run, climb, hunt, establish their territory, and choose their mates. In October 2003, the journal Nature reported Oxford University researchers' findings that large, roving predators—such as tigers—show stereotypical symptoms of stress when they are kept in captivity because they are unable to satisfy their instinct to roam. The authors conclude, 'The keeping of naturally wide-ranging carnivores should be either fundamentally improved or phased out.'
"Even LSU's new enclosure simply cannot fully provide for a tiger's needs. If LSU purchases a tiger cub, a newborn tiger will be forcibly removed from his or her mother within days of birth. Tigers have strong maternal instincts, and mothers nurse their young for three to six months. Premature separation is psychologically damaging to both infants and their mothers and deprives tiger babies of the maternal care that they need for normal physical and mental development.
"May we please tell our members that LSU has made the compassionate decision not to subject another live tiger to an unnatural life as a school mascot?"
No, was the answer from LSU chancellor Sean O'Keefe in a letter back to PETA on Tuesday.
"Mike is a treasured member of the LSU family," O'Keefe wrote. "There are 71 years of history behind Mike, and he represents the heart of our university. LSU stands behind its treatment of its tigers. Their habitat and lifestyle are constantly monitored to ensure their well being, and they receive state-of-the-art veterinary medical care from the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, which can improve and extend the life of a big cat.
"This is evidenced by the fact that Mike V lived to be 17 years of age. Two of LSU's tiger mascots, Mike I and Mike III, lived 19 years, and Mike IV lived 20 years 9 months and 18 days. The average lifespan for a tiger in the wild is about 8-10 years. A tiger in captivity, like Mike V, can live 14-18 years."
Mike V was also not forcibly taken from his mother. He arrived at LSU in February of 1990 when he was four months old.
Wathne, in turn, answered that letter in an interview with Gannett.
"Unfortunately, LSU's reasoning for continuing with its plan to obtain another tiger is way off the mark," she said. "LSU's expensive tiger habitat may appear grandiose to humans, but in fact it provided Mike with less than one acre of space - not nearly enough for a tiger to express his very basic and powerful natural behaviors. In the wild, tigers roam up to 400 miles."
Wathne did not like O'Keefe's life expectancy argument.
"The length of an animal's life cannot be equated with the quality of that life," she said. "A human prisoner may live longer than the average life expectancy since a prisoner is not at risk of car accidents, etc. But few of us would choose to spend our lives in prison in the hope of extending our lives."
"Tigers are indeed endangered in the wild, but keeping a tiger caged at a university and parading him around at chaotic sporting events contributes nothing to the conservation of the species in the wild. In fact, it's likely to have the opposite effect by encouraging the public to obtain their own wild animals as "pets," thereby fueling the exotic animal trade. LSU could make a significant contribution to the conservation of tigers by donating the money it would spend to purchase and care for another tiger to conservation efforts in the wild."
Corey Kilburn, a Baton Rouge Community College student headed to LSU, was shocked at PETA's stance.
"A real Mike the Tiger is part of the LSU family," he said while dining with a buddy at the Chimes restaurant near the LSU campus. "And we treat the tiger better than the students, even better than the football players. They're treated very well. I think PETA's just mad because they don't have a tiger."
Kilburn's friend Josh Maxwell, who goes to Louisiana Tech, agreed.
"Mike V lived better than me," he said. "PETA is being ridiculous. LSU has to have a tiger. That's the way it is. That new habitat is better than a zoo."
LSU fans, students and Mike V admirers continued to drop off notes, pictures, newspaper articles and other gifts at the late Mike V's habitat on Tuesday.
Two people, at first, did not know why this was being done.
"We just found out he died," said LSU alum Janet Dickey of Paris, Texas. Dickey and her daughter Sarah Dickey were on their way back home from the University of Virginia, where Sarah is studying to become a veterinarian.
"She wanted to stop and see Mike," Janet said.
"He's family. I hope they get another one for student morale," Sarah said.
"They have a great place for him to live," Janet said.
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By Glenn Guilbeau
Gannett News Service
For the Week
Despite PETA protest, LSU plans to replace Tiger mascot Mike V
May 23, 2007
BATON ROUGE — The sequel is on.
There will be a Mike VI live tiger mascot in his habitat across the street from Tiger Stadium, LSU officials said Tuesday after PETA (the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) asked by letter that the university not put another tiger in captivity.
Mike V died Friday after emergency surgery at the age of 17. Dr. David Baker, the director of Laboratory Animal Medicine at the LSU Veterinary School, said then and again Tuesday that he plans to find a Mike VI.
"The LSU mascot is a part of LSU," Baker said. "We plan to get another one by football season."
LSU's two-year old, $3 million, 15,000-square foot, zoo-like habitat already has plaques for Mike VII, VIII, IX, X and so on above the main viewing area.
"Having a live Tiger at LSU is important to the students and is a tradition," Baker said.
PETA, though, does not want to see another Tiger cub "forcibly removed' from its mother for an unnatural life filled with stress. Lisa Wathne, a captive exotic animal specialist, sent a letter on PETA's behalf to LSU chancellor Sean O'Keefe that was received Tuesday.
"We are writing to express our sympathy over the death of Mike the tiger, and to urge the school not to replace him," the letter says. "Big cats in captivity are denied everything that is natural and important to them, such as the opportunity to run, climb, hunt, establish their territory, and choose their mates. In October 2003, the journal Nature reported Oxford University researchers' findings that large, roving predators—such as tigers—show stereotypical symptoms of stress when they are kept in captivity because they are unable to satisfy their instinct to roam. The authors conclude, 'The keeping of naturally wide-ranging carnivores should be either fundamentally improved or phased out.'
"Even LSU's new enclosure simply cannot fully provide for a tiger's needs. If LSU purchases a tiger cub, a newborn tiger will be forcibly removed from his or her mother within days of birth. Tigers have strong maternal instincts, and mothers nurse their young for three to six months. Premature separation is psychologically damaging to both infants and their mothers and deprives tiger babies of the maternal care that they need for normal physical and mental development.
"May we please tell our members that LSU has made the compassionate decision not to subject another live tiger to an unnatural life as a school mascot?"
No, was the answer from LSU chancellor Sean O'Keefe in a letter back to PETA on Tuesday.
"Mike is a treasured member of the LSU family," O'Keefe wrote. "There are 71 years of history behind Mike, and he represents the heart of our university. LSU stands behind its treatment of its tigers. Their habitat and lifestyle are constantly monitored to ensure their well being, and they receive state-of-the-art veterinary medical care from the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, which can improve and extend the life of a big cat.
"This is evidenced by the fact that Mike V lived to be 17 years of age. Two of LSU's tiger mascots, Mike I and Mike III, lived 19 years, and Mike IV lived 20 years 9 months and 18 days. The average lifespan for a tiger in the wild is about 8-10 years. A tiger in captivity, like Mike V, can live 14-18 years."
Mike V was also not forcibly taken from his mother. He arrived at LSU in February of 1990 when he was four months old.
Wathne, in turn, answered that letter in an interview with Gannett.
"Unfortunately, LSU's reasoning for continuing with its plan to obtain another tiger is way off the mark," she said. "LSU's expensive tiger habitat may appear grandiose to humans, but in fact it provided Mike with less than one acre of space - not nearly enough for a tiger to express his very basic and powerful natural behaviors. In the wild, tigers roam up to 400 miles."
Wathne did not like O'Keefe's life expectancy argument.
"The length of an animal's life cannot be equated with the quality of that life," she said. "A human prisoner may live longer than the average life expectancy since a prisoner is not at risk of car accidents, etc. But few of us would choose to spend our lives in prison in the hope of extending our lives."
"Tigers are indeed endangered in the wild, but keeping a tiger caged at a university and parading him around at chaotic sporting events contributes nothing to the conservation of the species in the wild. In fact, it's likely to have the opposite effect by encouraging the public to obtain their own wild animals as "pets," thereby fueling the exotic animal trade. LSU could make a significant contribution to the conservation of tigers by donating the money it would spend to purchase and care for another tiger to conservation efforts in the wild."
Corey Kilburn, a Baton Rouge Community College student headed to LSU, was shocked at PETA's stance.
"A real Mike the Tiger is part of the LSU family," he said while dining with a buddy at the Chimes restaurant near the LSU campus. "And we treat the tiger better than the students, even better than the football players. They're treated very well. I think PETA's just mad because they don't have a tiger."
Kilburn's friend Josh Maxwell, who goes to Louisiana Tech, agreed.
"Mike V lived better than me," he said. "PETA is being ridiculous. LSU has to have a tiger. That's the way it is. That new habitat is better than a zoo."
LSU fans, students and Mike V admirers continued to drop off notes, pictures, newspaper articles and other gifts at the late Mike V's habitat on Tuesday.
Two people, at first, did not know why this was being done.
"We just found out he died," said LSU alum Janet Dickey of Paris, Texas. Dickey and her daughter Sarah Dickey were on their way back home from the University of Virginia, where Sarah is studying to become a veterinarian.
"She wanted to stop and see Mike," Janet said.
"He's family. I hope they get another one for student morale," Sarah said.
"They have a great place for him to live," Janet said.
Related news from the Web
Latest headlines by topic:
• Sports
• Louisiana State University NCAA
• NCAA Sports
• Activism
• NCAA Football
• LSU Tigers NCAA Football
Powered by Topix.net
By Glenn Guilbeau
Gannett News Service
For the Week
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