PETA Calls for LSU to End Tradition of Holding Live Tiger Mascot

After the LSU Tigers' Bengali-Siberian hybrid tiger, Mike VI, was diagnosed with terminal cancer, PETA called for the end of the school's practice of keeping a live mascot.   

The Advocate's Ross Dellenger shared a statement made by the animal rights group Tuesday:

According to the New Orleans Advocate's Rebekah Allen, Mike VI has spindle cell sarcoma. No cure for the disease exists, but the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, will work with his medical team to create a treatment regimen that could allow him to continue living comfortably for another year or two.

Mike The Tiger dates back to 1934, when the school first began collecting $750 in order to purchase a tiger from the Little Rock Zoo, per MikeTheTiger.com. Named for Chellis "Mike" Chambers, then an athletic trainer at the school, Mike I debuted as LSU's mascot on Oct. 21, 1936.

The school received criticism from PETA in 2007 prior to Mike VI taking over. Then-LSU chancellor Sean O'Keefe released a statement defending the tradition:

"

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.

"

LSU stopped bringing Mike VI to football games last October after having trouble getting him into the trailer to take him from his year-round enclosure to Tiger Stadium.