Book Debunks Myths and Confirms Legends of LSU’s Live Tiger

Mike the Tiger has symbolized the spirit and resolve of Louisiana State University for over seventy-five years. Fiercely confident, keenly competitive, marvelously clever, and the only live tiger to reside on a college campus, Mike reigns nobly from his home just outside of Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.

In a completely updated and visually stunning new edition of Mike the Tiger, David G. Baker and W. Sheldon Bivin tell the story of this famed mascot from the Civil War origins of LSU’s fighting tiger tradition to the present age of social media. They share priceless behind-the-scenes anecdotes as they chronicle the reign of each of the six Mikes. The second edition offers 70 additional photos, for a total of 200 images. Additionally, the authors provide a “More about Mike” section, in which they field the most commonly asked questions about Mike’s care and lifestyle.

Mike the Tiger provides a treat for all who ever said, “Meet me at the tiger cage,” for all who still marvel at his regal appearance, and for all who will forever bleed purple and gold.

David G. Baker is the Paula and Milton W. Shepard Professor of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine in the School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University. He also serves as Institutional Attending Veterinarian for LSU and has been primary veterinarian for Mike the Tiger since 1996.

W. Sheldon Bivin was director of the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine in the School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, and primary veterinarian for Mike the Tiger from 1976 to 1996.

September 2013
160 pages, 10 x 10, 132 color photos, 68 halftones
978-0-8071-5322-2
Cloth $29.95
Louisiana Studies / Sports