BATON ROUGE, La. — The sixth live tiger to serve as Louisiana State University's mascot has been diagnosed with a rare and inoperable form of cancer.
Veterinarians plan to treat Mike VI's spindle cell sarcoma with radiation therapy that could extend the 10-year-old tiger's life by one or two more years, Dr. David Baker of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine said at a news conference Monday.
Baker, Mike's veterinarian, said the tiger has a lemon-sized tumor in its skull but doesn't appear to be in pain and hasn't shown any changes in its behavior.
"He's still tearing bushes up in his yard, playing with his ball," added Baker, who said the typical lifespan for a tiger in captivity is 14 to 18 years.