BATON ROUGE, La. -- Mike VI, the 11-year-old tiger mascot at Louisiana State University, has died after a four-month battle with cancer, the school announced Tuesday.
We are deeply saddened to have lost our beloved live Tiger mascot, @MikeTigerVI, after a 4-month battle with cancer. https://t.co/zSy3T7BCCY pic.twitter.com/RKF9mAdBip
Mike VI had been moved into hospice Monday after his handlers said the tiger's health had declined enough to the point that he couldn't be outside anymore.
The was diagnosed in May with a rare and inoperable form of cancer. At the time, veterinarians said treating its spindle cell sarcoma with radiation therapy could extend the tiger's life by one or two more years.