Tiger - War Eagle VI

Auburn University officials will retire the school's famed 26-year-old golden eagle Tiger during the Nov. 11 football game against the University of Georgia. The pregame ceremony will begin 25 minutes prior to kickoff.

Officials will also present her successor as War Eagle VII at halftime.

"Tiger has been, and will continue to be, a much-treasured part of Auburn University history," said AU President Ed Richardson. "She will still make guest appearances at games and will remain a vital part of the educational programs of the Southeastern Raptor Center."

Serving as War Eagle VI, Tiger has represented the university's school spirit since 1986 and has been flying before home football games since 2000. In 2002 she flew during the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, with her flight being seen by millions of television viewers around the world.

Earlier this year AU veterinarians diagnosed a recurring mass on Tiger's right leg as skin cancer. The low-grade but delicately located tumor was surgically removed again in June and was additionally treated with local radiation therapy.

"Tiger is doing very well and has been able to train for stadium flights," said Dr. Timothy Boosinger, veterinary dean. "So far there is little evidence of recurrence and we are hoping for long-term success, however it is still too early to know the long-term prognosis."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rescued Tiger in the mid-1980s from an illegal breeding operation in Missouri and placed her briefly in a rehabilitation facility in Kentucky, before transferring her to Auburn. She is now viewed by more than 50,000 children per year during the raptor center's educational programs, not counting spectators each fall at home football games.

In 2005, Tiger was recognized for her contributions to Auburn and to the state of Alabama by being inducted into the Alabama Animal Hall of Fame.

During Tiger's reign as War Eagle VI, the football team has complied a record of 174-69-4, including undefeated seasons in 1993 and 2004. The team won four Southeastern Conference Championships and six SEC Western Division championships.

The university is honoring the longtime icon through a special 2007 calendar, "Tiger: A Tribute," which is available through the AU's Photographic Services website at www.auburn.edu/photo or by phone at (334) 844-4560. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the raptor center.

University officials at halftime will also present six-year-old golden eagle Nova as the next official Auburn eagle, War Eagle VII. Nova and 11-year-old bald eagle Spirit have been making pre-game flights for three years and five years, respectively.

"Auburn has had golden eagles since the late 1800s, and now Nova will uphold the tradition of promoting Auburn and wildlife conservation," said Marianne Murphy, who trains AU's eagles with colleague Roy Crowe. "We are very privileged to have such a unique tradition at Auburn University."

Nova was born in captivity in the Montgomery, Ala., Zoo in 1999 and was transferred to Auburn when he was six months old.

All birds used in Auburn's educational programs are non-releasable due to prior injuries or human imprinting. Any bird capable of surviving in the wild must be released, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which permits Auburn to house the birds.

The Southeastern Raptor Center's mission is to promote wildlife conservation with the educational use of birds of prey, to rehabilitate ill and injured raptors, and to collaborate in raptor research efforts. The center, part of the College of Veterinary Medicine, treats hundreds of birds of prey annually from species such as bald eagles, golden eagles, peregrine falcons, great horned owls and red-tailed hawks.

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A new tradition has been born at Auburn University football games - War Eagle VI is delighting the fans by flying untethered from high in the stadium to the 50-yard line. After being trained at the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center over the summer, the magnificent golden eagle is gracefully soaring onto the field before each home game.

War Eagle VI, nicknamed Tiger, began the season by flying from the goal post at the Auburn-Wyoming football game, and she has progressed to taking flight from the club level. She is also making game-day appearances to promote wildlife conservation as part of the raptor center's environmental education efforts.

Last spring, the raptor center became the primary caretaker for Tiger, who is at Auburn by permission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She resides at both the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center and the Hamer Aviary next to Jordan-Hare Stadium.

This 21-year-old eagle came to Auburn in 1986 from the Tennessee Valley Authority's Raptor Rehabilitation Facility at Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky. She weighs 11 pounds, has a wingspan of seven and one-half feet, and her talons can squeeze down with a grip of 450 pounds per square inch. To put it into perspective, the average person has a grip of 20 pounds per square inch.

An Icon For Wildlife Conservation

Tiger's role as the symbol of Auburn's fighting spirit has been expanded to help promote wildlife education on issues such as hazards facing birds of prey. For example, one significant problem occurred in the 1970s, when the environmental contaminant DDT severely reduced raptor populations to a point where survival hinged on help from concerned citizens.

While golden eagles were not affected as critically as bald eagles, all raptors faced destruction due to DDT which destroyed egg shells and, as a result, halted reproduction. The situation was so serious that our national symbol, the American bald eagle, was placed on the endangered species list.

All birds of prey serve as sentinels in the environment because they are among the first animals to display effects of contaminants that will eventually harm other species, including humans. Fortunately, a group from Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine began an intensive effort to treat and rehabilitate raptor populations, which led to creation of the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center. Thanks to this effort, and similar ones, the American bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list on July 4, 1999, and other previously threatened birds, such as golden eagles, continue their resurgence.

Today, the raptor center serves as one of the top authorities in the nation on birds of prey. The mission is to rehabilitate injured or orphaned raptors, educate the public and scientific community, and research new aspects of raptor biomedicine.

Over the years, thousands of injured raptors have been admitted to the raptor center, including many golden eagles, after suffering gunshot wounds or other injuries. The center has rehabilitated and released almost 40 percent of the raptors back into the wild, which is one of the highest percentages in the country. A record 454 birds of prey were treated in 1999.

The Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center has earned national recognition from the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association for award-winning research in raptor biomedicine and for their rehabilitation and environmental education efforts. For information on how to be a volunteer or support SERRC, call (334) 844-6025.