He's just a tiger

Kind of weird that people would be upset at wild animal for not wanting to go to a football game but, well..

But it’s not that simple. Dr. David Baker, Director of the Division of Laboratory Animals at LSU who serves as the primary veterinarian for Mike the Tiger, was defensive—surly even—when asked why the 9½-year-old jungle cat hasn’t been going to games this year.

“People call me with brilliant ideas. ‘Put a steak in the trailer!’ Oh wow, 20 years we never thought of that. When cats think something is up, they’re very wary animals and this is an apex predator. He’s a fully mature tiger. He’s perfectly normal. They’re secretive animals. Why would he ever come out of his night house and get in the trailer? The fact that he ever does amazes me.

“He’s exhibiting perfectly normal behavior and that’s to stay put. End of story.”

Honestly, the fewer times Mike is hauled out in a cage for the amusement of 100,000 screaming people, the better job we can say his handlers are doing.

Obviously, though, the one time that tiger decides to go to the game something interesting must be up because Tigers are good at picking games.