Boxing
The amazing story of Mike Tyson’s pet tigers: what happened with them?
One of the former American boxer’s big cats attacked a neighbor’s dog after climbing the wall of his house to eat it.
Mike Tyson’s love for dangerous animals is well-documented. The legendary American boxer has owned an assortment of big cats, including Bengal tigers, mountain lions, and pumas – wild animals that pose obvious risks to both Tyson and those around him.
Tyson and the big cats
According to his former representative, Shelly Finkel, reported a couple of years ago, Tyson once lost custody of a Bengal tiger after it nearly attacked a neighbor’s dog.
“Mike was taking the tiger out for a walk, but when it saw the dog, it scaled an entire wall to go after it,” Finkel recounted. The neighbor, watching from a window, was shocked to see a tiger enter his yard, though Tyson managed to bring it back under control. However, it was too late; the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) had been notified, and without proper permits, Tyson had to surrender the animal.
Tyson’s three tigers and close encounters
The Bengal tiger wasn’t Tyson’s only exotic pet. He purchased three tigers during a unique trade involving cars and big cats, spending around $71,000 on the exchange while also covering high maintenance costs. One of the tigers, named Kenya, even slept in Tyson’s bedroom.
“She weighed about 550 pounds, and I was very attached to her. I slept beside her,” he shared in a GQ interview, noting that Kenya once injured a person by ripping off their arm.
Despite having tigers for over 15 years, Tyson recalled only one attack directed at him, which happened while he was administering a tetanus shot. “She bit me, but I only needed six or seven stitches,” he explained.
Tyson’s lifelong love for pigeons
Beyond big cats, it may surprise many that ‘Iron Mike’ has always had a fondness for pigeons. Even now, he keeps a birdhouse at home, where he raises various pigeon breeds, a passion that dates back to his childhood.
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