Mike the Tiger Habitat

On game days, roughly 100,000 fans walk past a live Bengal tiger on their way into Tiger Stadium. Mike VII's enclosure sits directly adjacent to the north end zone entrance — 15,000 square feet of waterfall, stream, rock plateaus, and live vegetation backing onto an Italianate campanile that mirrors the campus vernacular. It ranks among the largest on-campus live mascot enclosures in the country. LSU has kept a live tiger continuously since 1936, when Mike I arrived from the Little Rock Zoo for $750. The original enclosure was 2,000 square feet. In fall 2001, a grassroots "I Like Mike" campaign began raising funds for a larger home. Donors bought $100 engraved bricks that now pave the walkway around the habitat. Louisiana artist George Rodrigue created a painting sold for $500, proceeds to the campaign. Torre Design Consortium built the $3 million habitat in 2005, situated between Tiger Stadium and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The tradition nearly ended in 2016 when animal rights groups pressured the university. LSU responded by upgrading the habitat to AZA-level standards. Mike VI died of a rare spinal tumor. Mike VII arrived in 2017 from a sanctuary in Sandstone, Minnesota. Open daily, free admission. Best viewing times are early morning and late afternoon when Mike is most active.