Mike the Tiger enters the first stage of mascot retirement. (Photo courtesy of LSU) |
Louisiana State University’s (LSU) mascot, Mike the Tiger, doesn’t have to roar at football games anymore if he doesn’t feel like it, the Associated Press reports. David Baker, DVM, Mike’s veterinarian, told the AP that Mike is entering his “first stage of retirement.”
Last football season, Baker noticed that the tiger didn’t seem as though he wanted to roar during football games. “It was more bothersome to him,” he said.
At future LSU Tiger Stadium football games, the student mascot will no longer entice Mike to roar. Mike is 17 years old and has served as the fifth LSU mascot since 1990.
LSU’s tigers retire in three stages. Mike V is entering the first stage, where he no longer participates in pregame events. The next stage will retire him from attending football games altogether, and the final stage will move him to a “retirement home” off campus.
For more information about Mike the Tiger, visit LSU’s website.