Furry Fun Room

Tigers are magnificent animals that captivate us with their giant paws and unique strips. It is no wonder they are often the inspiration for school mascots. However, one university has taken it a step too far by having a tiger living on campus as their live mascot.

At Louisiana State University (LSU) they have had a live tiger living on campus as their mascot. The current tiger, Mike VII is the seventh tiger to live in the small enclosure alone. LSU claims that the tiger gets the best care and the enclosure was recently remodeled to include more activities and increase the size. However, it pales in comparison to a big cat sanctuary.

A typical day for the tiger involves spending twelve hours in his yard and then brought into his night house after 8PM, according to LSU. While his area includes large logs to sunbath on and a waterfall with a pond for swimming, he is all alone. At a sanctuary he would spend all his time in a massive area with other tigers. He would live a more natural lifestyle and possibly be reintroduced to the wild.

Photos: Twitter/Mike VII

Mike VII was rescued at 11-months-old and brought to LSU to live. He is a hit with all the students and even has his own social media pages. Even though he appears friendly and content, he would be happiest with other cats to socialize with.

Photos: Twitter/Mike VII

A petition was started to get Mike VII transferred to a sanctuary and to end the practice of keeping a live mascot on LSU campus. Over 13,000 people have already signed the petition in hopes that Mike will be in a sanctuary soon.