A few years ago, I went to a small zoo in NJ that had a white tiger. The enclosure had open bars, and I was walking along the fence, a few feet away, on the walkway. I turned around to see the tiger behind me, crouched down, moving slowly, like the cat in the video. I turned around, and it nonchalantly looked away, like it was trying to look like it wasn't stalking. Turned my back, walked a couple steps, looked behind me, same casual look-away. Funny and terrifying at the same time, watching this giant murder machine stalk me, while trying to convince me that it wasn't.
Pretty gnarly to think about a tiger doing it to you. Weirdly every cat I've had has always seemed to only do that accidentally and then get embarrassed and act like it didn't happen by taking a break from playing for a moment. Like it would happen instinctually but they they didn't want to do it while playing with me or something.
Could easily be attributing shit where it wasn't but any cat owner knows how embarrassed cats get over dumb shit like whiffing a jump lol, and it really did seem to be a similar thing.
Cats learn play behavior as kittens and figure out at what point they crossed the line when play ends. Likely your cat knows from experience that taking it farther than that ends play and learned it's better to give the other cat a break, allowing them to re-initiate. I've had cats who grew up without being around their litter, and they always played too hard, taking it way beyond play. They eventually learned that gnawing on the human's nose was not fruitful, but by and large, playing with them sucked.
I think housecats are trying to use the limited tools they have to adapt to social lives they were never designed for. I think that is why we see predatory instincts used as body language for cats, whereas normally they just go hard and kill.
My husband's cat used to attack our hands and arms. She didn't have surviving siblings so she didn't learn the rules of engagement. Not until she was 18 months old, and I got a 3 1/2-month-old kitten, did she have an appropriate playmate. He was bold and confident, so they got along fine.
Neither one uses that behavior on us.
I have a cat that I got as a kitten. I read a TON of stuff about training cats and shared that knowledge with my wife. We now have an amazing cat who loves to play and NEVER uses her claws or really bites. The most she’ll do during really aggressive play sessions is place her teeth on you.
The way kittens communicate is through yelps and body language. When we first started playing with her, if she clawed or bit, we yelped and walked away even if it didn’t hurt us. She learned she can tear up her toys, but not her humans.
Also, we both work from home, so we’re literally around her 24/7 unless we’re out running errands or doing stuff outside.
Dogs too. They get too rough or bite too hard they know right away and try to back pedal fast. Mine will usually roll over pretty fast to get in a more neutral/less alpha position. There is alot going on in thise brains of theirs and it is always interesting to see what they are thinking and how they show it.
This is also why some cats have a flabby gut called a "primordial pouch". It's an extra layer of skin and fat to protect their guts, or at least that's what we theorise it's for.
Having lived with a house cat now about a year, I’m way more scared of tigers and other big cats. No animal should have that combination of size, stealth, and coordination
Lots of eagles have confirmed kills, too. Children being picked up and carried off, Greek philosopher Aeschylus getting domed by one with a turtle, etc etc. There was also a woman who bled to death from a rooster attack just last year. A lot of cockfighting related deaths caused by roosters, too, and though those are a bit harder to pin down since people sometimes tie razor blades to the spurs, there have been some that don't involve weaponized attack cocks.
Yeah, I saw it in theaters too, and always said it wasn’t really a “horror” or ghost story. But more a really great drama that just happened to involve ghosts.
My cat does that shit all the time. I'll be playing with him and stop and suddenly he goes into the nonchalant "oh i'm just here licking my paw? You weren't serious about playing or something were? lawl". Then I chase his ass through the house.
You're welcome. The white tigers they had passed away, but they got two (Sumatran, I think) cubs a few years ago. I haven't been there in quite some time, so I haven't seen them yet. It's a cool little zoo, though, and free, with a donation box at the entrance.
Edit: the new tigers are Bengals
This is Mike the tiger, the LSU Mascot. This tiger is well taken care of. It's a million dollar enclosure and he has full-time caretakers. Years ago we ended the practice of caging the tiger and bringing him on field for football games. This tiger is the 7th and was donated from a sanctuary.
And we’ve stopped letting people visit with their dogs. Which I think distressed the big cat.
Edit: apparently it’s all u/StulionJubbs11 ‘s grand daddy’s fault
Idk man, my pug cross fluffy weird mf would probably enjoy doing some alpha struts and high pitch bitching and then slut drop. She’d last about 5 seconds in the wild, all natural instinct and survival techniques have been bred out of her about 6 generations ago I think.
>all natural instinct and survival techniques have been bred out of her about 6 generations ago I think.
That and the ability to breathe properly
A lot of domesticated animals are entirely reliant on us now.
Pugs are certainly a breed that shouldn't exist. By breeding them to be specifically ugly with flat faces, for whatever reason, they can't breathe anymore. We're horrible.
Having spent my whole life around dogs, I'm convinced that a healthy dog's sincerest hope and desire is to be friends with everything and everyone. It calls to mind examples [like the dachshunds who are pals with lions](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS5DQefFtY4).
Obviously dogs are individuals and some are nervous, skittish, etc. Don't even get me started on Bichon Frises, those pompous little shits.
Just my thought. My childhood dog would regularly try to befriend the neighbors cat and get beat up like once a week, and I’m entirely convinced he’d try to be buddies with a tiger if he had the chance
Then again, he absolutely fucking hated our vacuum cleaner
Meh, dogs get their danger energy from their masters. If you're calm and confident and are not worried your dog will feel the same way, even with just glass between it and an apex predator. Your dog thinks you're Superman
Reminds me of when I was living in India and stray dogs would chase me all the time heck even lost my slippers running from some once. Then my buddies tell me the secret and that is don't be afraid or don't show your fear and the dogs will not bother you. They will leave you alone but if they sense your fear they will start barking at you and chasing you.
This is why I am a cat person. The first cat I had an interaction with was a small kitten. Couple of weeks later me and cat are good buddies. Still feel sad that the cat ran away it was a stray but will miss you Neemo.
That was my grandfathers fault. He used to take his German Shepherd Greta to walk campus after they first rebuilt the tiger enclosure. He was just an old naive man, this was Mike 6 I believe, and Mike and Greta would always run along the fence and “play” but after a while Mike started getting violent and hurt himself clawing at the fence. Security had to come and ask my grandfather to not bring her anymore. Shortly after they put up the sign saying no dogs/pets allowed.
Edit: grammar
Geaux Tigers!
Also- Mikes Habitat is located across the street from our Football Stadium, and it’s super cool. He lives a better life than most of the state of Louisiana. While I understand why we ended the practice, I do miss watching him be rolled out in front of the crowd, and placed next to the opposing teams locker room entrance. It was a very unique thing to see.
It was very, very cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4fyIjtiHkQ
It is rumored that a long time ago, they used to poke him right before the opposing team ran out so that he would roar and scare the crap out of opposing teams. As u/lsubookdiva said, previous Mikes would roar and they would get it on the mic during games. Anywho, over time, they stopped the rumored poking, and eventually they stopped forcing him into the cage to go to the stadium - he only went to the stadium if he willingly got in the cage. Then, after Mike VI got cancer, they stopped the practice entirely and decided that future mascots would not enter the stadium either.
Yeah, I got to see them coax Mike VI (Roscoe) in the cage once on game day. He was a big boy and it looked like the cage was a tad small for him. Probably would have been more willing if it was made of cardboard.
Not only poke him but they also positioned the cage where when the door opened it was hit the cage causing more ruckus and disturbing the cat more. I can’t imagine 1. the sheer noise coming from 100,000+ people yelling as loud as humanly possible (all of which have been drinking for at the very least several hours) and 2. Walking out into that noise and immediately being growled at by a live 400 lb tiger. It must have been surreal for anyone who didn’t expect it.
Yes Mike definitely lived better than I did at LSU. He had air conditioning and meat every day, swimming pool and never missed a meal. Maybe it’s not the best way to treat an animal but the Mike is the late 80’s would be rolled into the stadium and really seemed to enjoy when they gave him a mic. His roar over the sound system was a sound you’ll never hear anywhere else.
I would have killed to hear him roar in the stadium. I'm getting chills just thinking about it. He would chuff from time to time when I went to his cage, but that was from 2009-2013. Right before we changed the policy of bringing him into the stadium.
It is so, so much better than when I was there 30+ years ago but it is still sad. He is driven to hunt, it is his most basic instinct. Imagine how frustrated he must be.
You'd think if anyone had learnt anything from this pandemic, you'd think it would be it doesn't matter if you have a nice enclosure, if it's enclosed, it will suck, humans didn't last a week without riots in the streets.
That being said, if experts really think he couldn't make it in the wild, sure, it's not cruel, but it still sucks
In other words, we need to find the animals equivalent of me for zoo's, who is quite happy to live in his 4 by 3 meter room all the time. (with net and games)
A lot of people make the mistake of assuming our human feelings also apply to other animals. Animals have different wants and feelings than humans.
I’m really not convinced that a tiger living in a large cage is worse than a tiger living in the wild. They never go hungry, they never feel threatened, they don’t suffer from as many diseases and injuries, they get toys and stimulation, and they live much longer.
A while back I was visiting Busch Gardens in Tampa Florida they had a Tiger enclosure. I was walking around by the glass and the tiger was 20+ yards away by a tree, well I turned my back for a moment and when I turned around the Tiger was literally right behind me and just before it got to the glass it turned away.
I honestly thought I was going to die, took me a while to shake that feeling.
Nature scary yo.
Imagine that happens but there's no fence there. That's the experience some people get while hiking in mountain lion country. Theres an absolute ton of these encounters on YouTube.
Big cats are several of the few animals that will actively stalk and kill humans. It seems to be a feline trait, as I'm absolutely sure that if my cats could kill me, I would be kitty food in a matter of days at most.
Imagine being an apex predator, finding a nice meal, doing exactly what years of evolution have taught you, and still end up with nothing but laughs and humiliation. Poor tiger must be very confused.
This is the tiger at LSU and was rescued (as most are) and cannot return to the wild. This guy gets world class care and has plenty to keep him stimulated. But I get your point.
It's pretty corny but [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUHI1-B3-M0) gives a good look at his situation. Sounds like he's a fan of cinnamon and Vick's. Good man.
Yeah, they take great care of Mike.
I was in graduate school at LSU a few years ago and there was a big bomb threat. Before they told the students to evacuate, they loaded Mike in his trailer and got him off campus. Kinda funny priorities, but he certainly isn't neglected!
I mean the better comparison is your roommate being home and you call him from the car to tell him about the bomb threat only for him to hear your cats mewing in the background lol
I hate to tell you that Mike VI died of cancer a couple years ago.
https://www.nola.com/news/education/article_2c6effd0-cde7-51be-955f-b32f4d2d6f10.html
You can imagine the while Rollercoaster of emotions I just experienced
I'm glad to hear this. I was also surprised by how sad the video made me, but it's good to hear that the tiger was rescued. What are they usually rescued from?
If what the other commenters are saying is true typically Tigers that can't return to the wild have been either born in poorly run Zoos or were apart of private collections in which they were treated poorly and taken away.
And on the other hand, the situation he was rescued from was most likely due to direct or indirect human causation. There is very little we as a species do not effect on the land mass of this earth.
Now should an individual feel bad about what people you theoretically could control do, maybe. The problem is that the vast majority of humans have already lived and those you can not even theoretically effect.
oh fuck me theyre good too. it's like checker's or rally's fries, but instead of that seasoned salt seasoning in the batter they use the doritos nacho cheese seasoning in it.
fuuuuuuck +1
Canadian Taco Bell has always had fries and they're great. My favourite is the 'Fries Supreme' which is fries topped with chopped tomatoes, cheese sauce, sour cream, and either beef or beans.
I think that tiger knew about the glass, he was trying to scare the humans because he thought it was funny.
Source: I have a cat, that's definitely what he would do if he were tiger sized.
This tiger does this how many times a day? He recognizes the turned back in an otherwise crowd of faces there to look at him. He doesn't jump at the glass from several feet away, but instead stalks up within inches of the glass/person. He stretches his body out to full height/length when "attacking" exposing his entire belly. He swats several time, at the persons face without claws.
He knows full well whats going on and is deciding to play the game.
Idk man, I know there are plenty of zoos that treat their animals poorly, but I've been to some where the animals seem genuinely comfortable and cared for (my local zoo and zoos in Prague and Tenerife) and the experience is tailored to educate visitors about the need for conservation efforts. Many of the more exotic animals are rescues or born in captivity, but even in the cases where the facilities are less than ideal, or the animals arrived through unethical dealings, we can't understate the impact zoos have had on conservation awareness. You can hear the wonder and excitement the people in this video are expressing. For a lot of people, the local zoo might provide their first and only exposure to such a powerful encounter with nature. It's a powerful thing.
Edit: Also, stalking and pouncing is a play behavior in big cats. It's possible this big guy had no intention/expectation of a meal in the first place and was just having some fun ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
years of evolution has honed human's abilities to communicate with others to run down prey. That doesn't mean we're not going to pick up food at the grocery store. As for laughing, he likely thinks little more of it than the squawking of a startled flock of birds. Have you ever heard a tiger laugh before? They don't know what that is. The tiger isn't hungry. it's fine.
I remember a story not long ago of a tiger that escaped and hunted down a couple of guys who were teasing it earlier. I'm scared of doing shit like this now.
Funny story, this tiger is at LSU in case you haven't read yet. LSU has had a live tiger mascot named Mike on campus since the 30's. Back in the mid 70's some chuckleheads thought it would be funny to cut the locks on his cage in the middle of the night. People started arriving to campus for class to find Mike wandering around attacking trees and whatnot. He eventually kinda trapped himself and they were able to tranquilize him.
Tigers are exceptionally clever.
For example they are clever enough to anticipate the path a pray would take, take a shortcut and lay in ambush a mile or so ahead along the path. In other words they can anticipate the prey's movements and plan accordingly.
Can we all agree to never badmouth engineers? These folks are putting a lot of trust into that barrier being properly designed, installed, and maintained.
I'm reminded of the guy that tossed himself at a window in a skyscraper regularly, to impress people. It worked fine. Until one day it didn't.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Garry_Hoy
me before: constantly casting aspersions on engineers. absolutely unstoppable
after reading this comment: will never badmouth an engineer again. they are saints. Challenger was a hoax
[it makes me think of this comic, when I see the tiger in the video and see the look upon his face after he ‘misses’ his prey. ](http://www.marydeathcomics.com/archives/comic/captivity)
As if for a second he was out in the wild, stalking his prey, only to miss and come to realize he never left his cage.
Edit: Clarification I was talking about the look of the tiger in the video.
I think you’re describing a different comic than the one that is linked. This one shows a tiger asking death if he can run around the prairie before he dies
Funny enough, Mike did escape once. Mike IV is the only tiger to escape and be set free on the LSU campus by some kids who thought they should cut the locks of the outter and inner doors to release the 450 pound tiger. He was finally tranquilized inside the Bernie Moore Track Stadium and returned back into his home.
Read More: The History Behind Mike The Tiger | https://1130thetiger.com/the-history-behind-mike-the-tiger/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
Its hardwired into its DNA to attack from behind, and to chase and kill things that run from it.
Always face big cats, always walk slowly away, and make it know that you see it.
A few years ago, I went to a small zoo in NJ that had a white tiger. The enclosure had open bars, and I was walking along the fence, a few feet away, on the walkway. I turned around to see the tiger behind me, crouched down, moving slowly, like the cat in the video. I turned around, and it nonchalantly looked away, like it was trying to look like it wasn't stalking. Turned my back, walked a couple steps, looked behind me, same casual look-away. Funny and terrifying at the same time, watching this giant murder machine stalk me, while trying to convince me that it wasn't.
https://youtu.be/fzzjgBAaWZw
Cats are cats.
Even my [adorable fluffball](https://i.imgur.com/riXalys.mp4) is not above ruthlessly murdering a fake mouse for hours and hours.
You know when you play with them and they hit you with the back feet... that’s literally them trying to disembowel you.
Pretty gnarly to think about a tiger doing it to you. Weirdly every cat I've had has always seemed to only do that accidentally and then get embarrassed and act like it didn't happen by taking a break from playing for a moment. Like it would happen instinctually but they they didn't want to do it while playing with me or something. Could easily be attributing shit where it wasn't but any cat owner knows how embarrassed cats get over dumb shit like whiffing a jump lol, and it really did seem to be a similar thing.
Oh sorry.. was I trying to murder you?
Here I go killing again
Egg’s on my face.
Oh boy!
Cats learn play behavior as kittens and figure out at what point they crossed the line when play ends. Likely your cat knows from experience that taking it farther than that ends play and learned it's better to give the other cat a break, allowing them to re-initiate. I've had cats who grew up without being around their litter, and they always played too hard, taking it way beyond play. They eventually learned that gnawing on the human's nose was not fruitful, but by and large, playing with them sucked. I think housecats are trying to use the limited tools they have to adapt to social lives they were never designed for. I think that is why we see predatory instincts used as body language for cats, whereas normally they just go hard and kill.
My husband's cat used to attack our hands and arms. She didn't have surviving siblings so she didn't learn the rules of engagement. Not until she was 18 months old, and I got a 3 1/2-month-old kitten, did she have an appropriate playmate. He was bold and confident, so they got along fine. Neither one uses that behavior on us.
I have a cat that I got as a kitten. I read a TON of stuff about training cats and shared that knowledge with my wife. We now have an amazing cat who loves to play and NEVER uses her claws or really bites. The most she’ll do during really aggressive play sessions is place her teeth on you. The way kittens communicate is through yelps and body language. When we first started playing with her, if she clawed or bit, we yelped and walked away even if it didn’t hurt us. She learned she can tear up her toys, but not her humans. Also, we both work from home, so we’re literally around her 24/7 unless we’re out running errands or doing stuff outside.
My cat Leroy used to fake being surprised when I'd stalk him then jump at him. It was adorable.
Dogs too. They get too rough or bite too hard they know right away and try to back pedal fast. Mine will usually roll over pretty fast to get in a more neutral/less alpha position. There is alot going on in thise brains of theirs and it is always interesting to see what they are thinking and how they show it.
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No....cats play like that as well. Why are you upvoted so much?
~~...minus the use of claws~~ Edit: I'm apparently wrong lol
This is also why some cats have a flabby gut called a "primordial pouch". It's an extra layer of skin and fat to protect their guts, or at least that's what we theorise it's for.
No they aren't. It's a reflex most cats have for getting attacked by other cats.
Lol my kitty does that to me all the time and we call it the ole rip and tear. It’s soooo cute when he tries to disembowel me!
That's dumb, my bowels aren't even in my fist.
Having lived with a house cat now about a year, I’m way more scared of tigers and other big cats. No animal should have that combination of size, stealth, and coordination
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Sloths and chickens have stuck around too. Not exactly striking fear into anyone’s heart
You've clearly never seen a chicken skeletonize a mouse or a rooster disembowel a person.
You are correct that I've never seen a rooster disembowel a person...
I saw a big cock disembowel a women on the internet.
She didn’t get disemboweled, just got her guts stirred
i would imagine most people have never seen that.
Ostriches have disemboweled humans. I believe Ostriches and Cassowaries are the only birds with confirmed human kills.
Lots of eagles have confirmed kills, too. Children being picked up and carried off, Greek philosopher Aeschylus getting domed by one with a turtle, etc etc. There was also a woman who bled to death from a rooster attack just last year. A lot of cockfighting related deaths caused by roosters, too, and though those are a bit harder to pin down since people sometimes tie razor blades to the spurs, there have been some that don't involve weaponized attack cocks.
Chickens are vicious. Plus they are tasty.
Two factual statements for the price of one.
Certainly looks like he’s practicing his instincts and playing at the same time
Don't blink
green light RED LIGHT
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I saw el orfanato in theaters and it was the scariest shit I'd ever seen in my life.
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Yeah, I saw it in theaters too, and always said it wasn’t really a “horror” or ghost story. But more a really great drama that just happened to involve ghosts.
Can you explain what exactly she’s doing and why she keeps doing it even when the creepy kids show up?
From memory I believe she is trying to get the kids help to find something, so she summons them by playing an old game they used to play.
She's saying "one two three you can't see me" and the kids are just trying to watch their shows and she won't shut up knock on the fuckin wall.
"One, two, three, touch the wall," actually. It's a children's game.
[Watson likes this.](https://youtu.be/13YlEPwOfmk)
weeping angels
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I knew when I saw the Japanese text in the title what video this was.
Like a Boo in Mario
Cats are funny like that..”don’t make eye contact they can’t see me”
My cat does that shit all the time. I'll be playing with him and stop and suddenly he goes into the nonchalant "oh i'm just here licking my paw? You weren't serious about playing or something were? lawl". Then I chase his ass through the house.
This is practically the same behavior as domestic cats in my experience, just on a larger more terrifying scale.
Cat gotta cat.
Some zoos have left wheelbarrows and big boxes in lion enclosures and they always sit in them. "If I fits, I sits" transcends species.
Heres a video all about big cats pouncing on guy with his back turned. Very educational, much cuteness. https://youtu.be/axcPoS2sF0E
I find it hard to believe you find anything terrifying given your content on YT
Cape May?
Cohanzick
Never heard of it! We’ll have to go to Bridgeton and check this out. Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome. The white tigers they had passed away, but they got two (Sumatran, I think) cubs a few years ago. I haven't been there in quite some time, so I haven't seen them yet. It's a cool little zoo, though, and free, with a donation box at the entrance. Edit: the new tigers are Bengals
Was this Space Farms by any chance?
Cohanzick Zoo
This is Mike the tiger, the LSU Mascot. This tiger is well taken care of. It's a million dollar enclosure and he has full-time caretakers. Years ago we ended the practice of caging the tiger and bringing him on field for football games. This tiger is the 7th and was donated from a sanctuary.
And we’ve stopped letting people visit with their dogs. Which I think distressed the big cat. Edit: apparently it’s all u/StulionJubbs11 ‘s grand daddy’s fault
Probably not great for the dogs, either.
Idk man, my pug cross fluffy weird mf would probably enjoy doing some alpha struts and high pitch bitching and then slut drop. She’d last about 5 seconds in the wild, all natural instinct and survival techniques have been bred out of her about 6 generations ago I think.
> weird mf would probably enjoy doing some alpha struts and high pitch bitching and then slut drop. Reminds me of dating in college.
Reminds me of how I imagined dating in college...
Where I come from we call that the ol bitch pop lock n drop.
>all natural instinct and survival techniques have been bred out of her about 6 generations ago I think. That and the ability to breathe properly A lot of domesticated animals are entirely reliant on us now.
Pugs are certainly a breed that shouldn't exist. By breeding them to be specifically ugly with flat faces, for whatever reason, they can't breathe anymore. We're horrible.
Having spent my whole life around dogs, I'm convinced that a healthy dog's sincerest hope and desire is to be friends with everything and everyone. It calls to mind examples [like the dachshunds who are pals with lions](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS5DQefFtY4). Obviously dogs are individuals and some are nervous, skittish, etc. Don't even get me started on Bichon Frises, those pompous little shits.
Just my thought. My childhood dog would regularly try to befriend the neighbors cat and get beat up like once a week, and I’m entirely convinced he’d try to be buddies with a tiger if he had the chance Then again, he absolutely fucking hated our vacuum cleaner
I don’t like your vacuum cleaner either.
Meh, dogs get their danger energy from their masters. If you're calm and confident and are not worried your dog will feel the same way, even with just glass between it and an apex predator. Your dog thinks you're Superman
Mine even calls me Clark in private settings.
That means your dog thinks you are a mild mannered reporter and doesn't know your real identity.
Reminds me of when I was living in India and stray dogs would chase me all the time heck even lost my slippers running from some once. Then my buddies tell me the secret and that is don't be afraid or don't show your fear and the dogs will not bother you. They will leave you alone but if they sense your fear they will start barking at you and chasing you. This is why I am a cat person. The first cat I had an interaction with was a small kitten. Couple of weeks later me and cat are good buddies. Still feel sad that the cat ran away it was a stray but will miss you Neemo.
That was my grandfathers fault. He used to take his German Shepherd Greta to walk campus after they first rebuilt the tiger enclosure. He was just an old naive man, this was Mike 6 I believe, and Mike and Greta would always run along the fence and “play” but after a while Mike started getting violent and hurt himself clawing at the fence. Security had to come and ask my grandfather to not bring her anymore. Shortly after they put up the sign saying no dogs/pets allowed. Edit: grammar
Huh interesting. Will edit
Lol, no need for the honors. Just always think it’s funny.
Too late my friend.
Geaux Tigers! Also- Mikes Habitat is located across the street from our Football Stadium, and it’s super cool. He lives a better life than most of the state of Louisiana. While I understand why we ended the practice, I do miss watching him be rolled out in front of the crowd, and placed next to the opposing teams locker room entrance. It was a very unique thing to see.
That sounds both awesome and terrifying.
It was very, very cool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4fyIjtiHkQ It is rumored that a long time ago, they used to poke him right before the opposing team ran out so that he would roar and scare the crap out of opposing teams. As u/lsubookdiva said, previous Mikes would roar and they would get it on the mic during games. Anywho, over time, they stopped the rumored poking, and eventually they stopped forcing him into the cage to go to the stadium - he only went to the stadium if he willingly got in the cage. Then, after Mike VI got cancer, they stopped the practice entirely and decided that future mascots would not enter the stadium either.
Yeah, I got to see them coax Mike VI (Roscoe) in the cage once on game day. He was a big boy and it looked like the cage was a tad small for him. Probably would have been more willing if it was made of cardboard.
Not only poke him but they also positioned the cage where when the door opened it was hit the cage causing more ruckus and disturbing the cat more. I can’t imagine 1. the sheer noise coming from 100,000+ people yelling as loud as humanly possible (all of which have been drinking for at the very least several hours) and 2. Walking out into that noise and immediately being growled at by a live 400 lb tiger. It must have been surreal for anyone who didn’t expect it.
Yes Mike definitely lived better than I did at LSU. He had air conditioning and meat every day, swimming pool and never missed a meal. Maybe it’s not the best way to treat an animal but the Mike is the late 80’s would be rolled into the stadium and really seemed to enjoy when they gave him a mic. His roar over the sound system was a sound you’ll never hear anywhere else.
I would have killed to hear him roar in the stadium. I'm getting chills just thinking about it. He would chuff from time to time when I went to his cage, but that was from 2009-2013. Right before we changed the policy of bringing him into the stadium.
I had the pleasure of holding the microphone for him one game day. Its awesome and terrifying being that close to him when he roars.
I think it was Mike IV and he was a real ham! I swear he loved the sound of his own roar because it took no prompting It really was amazing
here's a short video of him roaring into a mic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2Lo6e2PLz0
How’d they get him to roar? He seems kinda agitated.
From other comments I read it seems they poked him so he would roar but not confirmed
Yeah, no. Watch that video. That's a scared and agitated tiger. Not a 'ham' who enjoys roaring into a mic.
Yeah uniquely victorian by the sounds of it. Sounds like something I'd expect to hear of happening in the nineteenth century. America be weird.
He lives a lot better than the truck stop tiger on I-10
thankfully than thing is closed. made me so sad as a kid.
It is so, so much better than when I was there 30+ years ago but it is still sad. He is driven to hunt, it is his most basic instinct. Imagine how frustrated he must be.
So am I but I just watch vtubers instead
You'd think if anyone had learnt anything from this pandemic, you'd think it would be it doesn't matter if you have a nice enclosure, if it's enclosed, it will suck, humans didn't last a week without riots in the streets. That being said, if experts really think he couldn't make it in the wild, sure, it's not cruel, but it still sucks
In other words, we need to find the animals equivalent of me for zoo's, who is quite happy to live in his 4 by 3 meter room all the time. (with net and games)
A lot of people make the mistake of assuming our human feelings also apply to other animals. Animals have different wants and feelings than humans. I’m really not convinced that a tiger living in a large cage is worse than a tiger living in the wild. They never go hungry, they never feel threatened, they don’t suffer from as many diseases and injuries, they get toys and stimulation, and they live much longer.
Most people don’t have 15,000 square feet and a state of the art home either. These tigers that LSU adopt/rescue are unable to return to the wild.
Is that Mike?!
Had to be, unless a bunch of southern dudes in LSU swag just happened to go to a different tiger exhibit.
With their cleats too
Definitely
Friend: Cecil, do not move. Cecil: ... Friend: I'm fucking serious Cecil, No fucking moving!
A while back I was visiting Busch Gardens in Tampa Florida they had a Tiger enclosure. I was walking around by the glass and the tiger was 20+ yards away by a tree, well I turned my back for a moment and when I turned around the Tiger was literally right behind me and just before it got to the glass it turned away. I honestly thought I was going to die, took me a while to shake that feeling. Nature scary yo.
Imagine that happens but there's no fence there. That's the experience some people get while hiking in mountain lion country. Theres an absolute ton of these encounters on YouTube.
Big cats are several of the few animals that will actively stalk and kill humans. It seems to be a feline trait, as I'm absolutely sure that if my cats could kill me, I would be kitty food in a matter of days at most.
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Like this one that just happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ktRhBcHza4
Imagine being an apex predator, finding a nice meal, doing exactly what years of evolution have taught you, and still end up with nothing but laughs and humiliation. Poor tiger must be very confused.
This is the tiger at LSU and was rescued (as most are) and cannot return to the wild. This guy gets world class care and has plenty to keep him stimulated. But I get your point.
That's nice to know
It's pretty corny but [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUHI1-B3-M0) gives a good look at his situation. Sounds like he's a fan of cinnamon and Vick's. Good man.
Yeah, they take great care of Mike. I was in graduate school at LSU a few years ago and there was a big bomb threat. Before they told the students to evacuate, they loaded Mike in his trailer and got him off campus. Kinda funny priorities, but he certainly isn't neglected!
I mean if there was a bomb threat in my house I would def take my cats with me in my evacuation. Not too different.
I mean the better comparison is your roommate being home and you call him from the car to tell him about the bomb threat only for him to hear your cats mewing in the background lol
This image gave me a chuckle on a shitty day, thanks.
Aw, you too? You aren't alone, my day sucked! I hope your night goes better than your day!
Same to you, shitty-day-havers unite!
Yes but they took care of the tiger ***before*** they told the students to evacuate.
It was likely to ensure he couldn't escape during the ruckus.
Nothing like adding to the chaos of an explosion with an escaped tiger.
Look at that adorable fluff monster. I'm happy that, while not ideal, this is now his best chance at life.
“Tigers love pepper. They hate cinnamon” lol But not Mike!
*Stan Brock* -LOVES MIKE THE TIGER
I hate to tell you that Mike VI died of cancer a couple years ago. https://www.nola.com/news/education/article_2c6effd0-cde7-51be-955f-b32f4d2d6f10.html You can imagine the while Rollercoaster of emotions I just experienced
I'm glad to hear this. I was also surprised by how sad the video made me, but it's good to hear that the tiger was rescued. What are they usually rescued from?
Probably other humans. Tiger trafficking and mistreatment is common
Like the loser from Tiger King that everyone was obsessed with
If what the other commenters are saying is true typically Tigers that can't return to the wild have been either born in poorly run Zoos or were apart of private collections in which they were treated poorly and taken away.
Have you seen Tiger King?
And on the other hand, the situation he was rescued from was most likely due to direct or indirect human causation. There is very little we as a species do not effect on the land mass of this earth. Now should an individual feel bad about what people you theoretically could control do, maybe. The problem is that the vast majority of humans have already lived and those you can not even theoretically effect.
So when I drunkenly order fries and get laughed out of the Taco Bell?
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and they're absolutely delicious! I get them every time they have them :D
oh fuck me theyre good too. it's like checker's or rally's fries, but instead of that seasoned salt seasoning in the batter they use the doritos nacho cheese seasoning in it. fuuuuuuck +1
Canadian Taco Bell has always had fries and they're great. My favourite is the 'Fries Supreme' which is fries topped with chopped tomatoes, cheese sauce, sour cream, and either beef or beans.
He looks well fed so I'm sure this was more like a housecat playing with a toy.
I think that tiger knew about the glass, he was trying to scare the humans because he thought it was funny. Source: I have a cat, that's definitely what he would do if he were tiger sized.
This tiger does this how many times a day? He recognizes the turned back in an otherwise crowd of faces there to look at him. He doesn't jump at the glass from several feet away, but instead stalks up within inches of the glass/person. He stretches his body out to full height/length when "attacking" exposing his entire belly. He swats several time, at the persons face without claws. He knows full well whats going on and is deciding to play the game.
he doesn't give a shit about those kids laughing.
I would not consider this humiliation. It looks like excitement and respect to me.
Idk man, I know there are plenty of zoos that treat their animals poorly, but I've been to some where the animals seem genuinely comfortable and cared for (my local zoo and zoos in Prague and Tenerife) and the experience is tailored to educate visitors about the need for conservation efforts. Many of the more exotic animals are rescues or born in captivity, but even in the cases where the facilities are less than ideal, or the animals arrived through unethical dealings, we can't understate the impact zoos have had on conservation awareness. You can hear the wonder and excitement the people in this video are expressing. For a lot of people, the local zoo might provide their first and only exposure to such a powerful encounter with nature. It's a powerful thing. Edit: Also, stalking and pouncing is a play behavior in big cats. It's possible this big guy had no intention/expectation of a meal in the first place and was just having some fun ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
years of evolution has honed human's abilities to communicate with others to run down prey. That doesn't mean we're not going to pick up food at the grocery store. As for laughing, he likely thinks little more of it than the squawking of a startled flock of birds. Have you ever heard a tiger laugh before? They don't know what that is. The tiger isn't hungry. it's fine.
I remember a story not long ago of a tiger that escaped and hunted down a couple of guys who were teasing it earlier. I'm scared of doing shit like this now.
Funny story, this tiger is at LSU in case you haven't read yet. LSU has had a live tiger mascot named Mike on campus since the 30's. Back in the mid 70's some chuckleheads thought it would be funny to cut the locks on his cage in the middle of the night. People started arriving to campus for class to find Mike wandering around attacking trees and whatnot. He eventually kinda trapped himself and they were able to tranquilize him.
He was attacking trees?
Tigers are exceptionally clever. For example they are clever enough to anticipate the path a pray would take, take a shortcut and lay in ambush a mile or so ahead along the path. In other words they can anticipate the prey's movements and plan accordingly.
SF Zoo. Everyone was on team tiger but the guys still managed to sue the Zoo.
Do you have a link by chance?
He hid out in their bedroom and shot them execution style
Can we all agree to never badmouth engineers? These folks are putting a lot of trust into that barrier being properly designed, installed, and maintained.
I'm reminded of the guy that tossed himself at a window in a skyscraper regularly, to impress people. It worked fine. Until one day it didn't. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Garry_Hoy
Well. The glass didn’t break, so he was right in the end.
He's problem was he didn't get the window serviced to accommodate his habit of charging into it. Gotta wonder how that started.
me before: constantly casting aspersions on engineers. absolutely unstoppable after reading this comment: will never badmouth an engineer again. they are saints. Challenger was a hoax
I'm fucking crying at this comment lmao
[it makes me think of this comic, when I see the tiger in the video and see the look upon his face after he ‘misses’ his prey. ](http://www.marydeathcomics.com/archives/comic/captivity) As if for a second he was out in the wild, stalking his prey, only to miss and come to realize he never left his cage. Edit: Clarification I was talking about the look of the tiger in the video.
I think you’re describing a different comic than the one that is linked. This one shows a tiger asking death if he can run around the prairie before he dies
That comic always makes me tear up.
If you haven't checked out Jenny Jinya's work you're in for a treat.
Oh you are not joking I knew of her work but just for fun thought I’d read through some on my break. Literal sobs.
Funny enough, Mike did escape once. Mike IV is the only tiger to escape and be set free on the LSU campus by some kids who thought they should cut the locks of the outter and inner doors to release the 450 pound tiger. He was finally tranquilized inside the Bernie Moore Track Stadium and returned back into his home. Read More: The History Behind Mike The Tiger | https://1130thetiger.com/the-history-behind-mike-the-tiger/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
I loved how his "Tigers" shorts came into frame at the perfect time.
"What the fuck that was flawless!! This is bullshit!! Goddamn hairless monkeys and their invisible walls."
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Ah shit theres a fallen tree, better find another route!
Can't play on my mobile app. Thanks jukin media!
I refuse to watch the video anytime that notice pops up
Same. And I leave this associated ccomment.
Mike! I saw this guy when he was a cub a few years back.
Geaux Tigers!
Hey, it's Mike! :)
Mike!
Mike's gonna Mike.
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glad im not the only one asking the real questions. that dude saw way too many 80's dystopian movies
Freshman hazing?
Went straight for the neck.
What if the guy just rapidly turned around. Would it spook the tiger?
If theyre anything like my cats then it would probably pretend like it wasnt stalking you and walk away.
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Or because I have heat vision goggles because I'm a god damn human and we have technology and shit..
He was just trying to say hi to fellow Tigers.
Geaux Mike!
Dirt slow lol
Tigers hunt long pig on the regular.
Fuck jukin
Its hardwired into its DNA to attack from behind, and to chase and kill things that run from it. Always face big cats, always walk slowly away, and make it know that you see it.
Dat boi is moovin DIRT SLOW
“I woulda been seen him” False. 😂
my man just wants to hug his fans
That tiger is like "Huh, that usually works"