I got a chance to look behind the scenes with one of Mike VI’s caretakers to see how they take care of him everyday.
Mike VI’s Caretaker Tuesday, Mar 1 2011
Broadcast Packages and LSU's Mike VI Caretaker Chris Hagan 1:25 AM
Slideshow: Mike VI Tuesday, Mar 1 2011
LSU's Mike VI Caretaker and Slideshows Chris Hagan 1:23 AM
A slideshow with Mike VI and his personal vet, Dr. Baker, explaining how they take care of LSU’s favorite feline.
Behind the scenes with Mike VI Tuesday, Mar 1 2011
LSU's Mike VI Caretaker and Print Stories Chris Hagan 1:20 AM
Taking care of LSU’s live tiger mascot, Mike VI, is a job that many admire. However, Dr. David Baker, LSU Director of Laboratory Animal Medicine, said that it’s a job that he takes very seriously. He said that Mike VI requires a lot of daily care.
“The students check Mike’s enclosure every morning to make sure that there’s no debris that might harm him if he ingested it,” Baker said. “They check all the fences, gates and locks to make sure everything is secure.”
Randee Monceaux, one of Mike’s caretakers, said that there are some misconceptions that people have about Mike. The most common misconception is that the caretakers sedate Mike before they bring him to football games.
“That is not true,” said Monceaux. “If we have to sedate him, we shouldn’t bring him to the games.”
Monceaux also said the caretakers never enter the same personal space as Mike VI. “We always have a barrier between ourselves and Mike,” said Monceaux. “He still is a wild animal. Even though he’s very affectionate, we have to treat him as a wild animal.”
Dr. Baker said that even though it’s unlikely that Mike would attack them, there’s always the possibility that he could harm them while playing around.
