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LSU Tigers

Where has Mike the Tiger been?

Brett Weisband

By Brett Weisband

Published:

Tiger Stadium is one of the most terrifying places in the nation for a visiting team to play, and in the past it’s been made even more frightening by an actual live tiger.

LSU has had six Mike the Tigers throughout its history, dating back to 1936, and Mike VI has proven to be as fickle as any cat. LSU is playing its seventh home game of the season tonight, squaring off with rival Alabama, and Mike VI has yet to emerge for any of the games.

Laken Littman of USA TODAY’s For the Win did some investigating, and Mike’s reluctance to come out is apparently completely normal.

“Cat people know that cats do what cats are going to do. Life is on their terms. You can’t force them and we have no way of forcing him. OK? I’ll say that again. We have no way of forcing him. We wouldn’t if we did. You can’t entice them.” Dr. David Baker, Mike VI’s primary veterinarian, said to Littman.

Mike VI lives in a 15,000 square foot habitat on LSU’s campus, and he comes out during the day to roam. But as of yet, he’s yet to enter his travel carriage that sits outside the visitors’ locker room. Coach Les Miles has asked for volunteers to help shoo him in, acting as the literal “tiger bait” that LSU fans are always talking about, but Baker doesn’t think that’ll make a difference.

“He doesn’t care, he’s an animal. He doesn’t read his Facebook page, and this might come as a surprise to some people. Or, ‘Oh man I’ve gotta go to the Alabama game.’ He doesn’t know these things. He’s just a tiger,” Baker said in the FTW article.

LSU fans have overcome their disappointment in Mike VI’s absence and have taken to improvising. Great Danes might not be quite as big as tigers, but paint a few stripes on and they become nearly as intimidating.

 

Brett Weisband

A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.

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