COLUMBUS – The Massillon Washington High School Tigers play their first football game of the season Thursday but they might have to take the field without their traditional mascot on the sideline.
The school has had a live tiger cub at games for decades, but might kick off the season without the traditional mascot as boosters try to find a way to meet state rules for keeping dangerous animals.
A limited exemption for animals used as mascots and other purposes was included in a law enacted after a suicidal man released dozens of dangerous animals from his Zanesville-area farm in 2011.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture has said it isn’t trying to end the tradition but needs to ensure the requirements are met.
The boosters were asked to prove that the tigers they lease would live at an accredited facility and the school would ensure they’d be cared for throughout their lives.
The state hasn’t received that documentation.