May 27, 2007
Chancellor Sean O'Keefe
Louisiana State University
Office of the Chancellor
156 Thomas Boyd Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Re: "Mike" the Tiger, mascot
Dear Chancellor O'Keefe:
Although it is clear by this point in time that you have every
intention of purchasing yet another tiger to serve as a mascot for
Louisiana State University, there are many of us who question the
appropriateness of this decision. In your responses to those
who are protesting the proposed purchase of a new tiger cub, you have
made several statements of dubious reasoning. You have, for
instance, stated that LSU's tiger habitat is "far better
than most found in zoos," and "exceed[s] federal standards."
This may be true, but it ignores the fact that your habitat
enclosure, less than one acre in size, provides considerably less
space than that which would comprise a wild tiger's normal home range.
Any tiger housed at your facility will be unable to fully partake of
his many natural behaviors – roaming, hunting, finding a mate, etc.
Regarding those activities, you have said: "Captive tigers
do not have to fight and risk injury to establish and defend their
territories, secure mates, or hunt prey." This
blandishment is merely another way of justifying denial of natural activities.
With regard to the charge that a new tiger cub will likely have been
forcibly removed from his mother, it has been stated that this was not
so in the case of LSU's last mascot, Mike V, as he was four
months old at the time of his arrival at the university. Tiger
cubs in the wild, however, remain with their mothers for several years.
Additionally, the fact that Mike V was first paraded in front of fans
at an LSU basketball game when he was still but four months old
hardly speaks well of your commitment to treat your tigers with
"love" and "respect." It is not respectful
to treat wild animals as mere props at entertainment venues.
It is this last point which brings us to the heart of the matter.
Parading a tiger before mobs of rambunctious fans, cheerleaders
perched atop his cage, is exploitation pure and simple. Being
loaded into a transport trailer in order to be present at
"away" games is a poor substitute for being allowed to roam
a home range of many miles in the wild. Using tigers to
"intimidate the opposing team," as Dr. David Baker,
Mike's "personal veterinarian," has put it, does
nothing to foster respect for animals – it merely conditions
audiences to the belief that exploitation is normal, acceptable, and
even "fun."
Though your stated opinion is that the captive conditions experienced
by tigers at LSU is both beneficial to them and provides the means to
educate the public with regard to the conservation of an endangered
species, actual usage of your tigers as school mascots tells quite a
different story. And while I recognize that my request for you to
cease this practice is likely to fall on deaf ears, for the sake
of that tiger which you have yet to purchase, I make this appeal:
Please reconsider. The simplest way for you to show the respect
you claim to have for tigers is to cease your exploitation of them.
Yours sincerely & etc. . . .
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