3,100 dollars raised to “help purchase Clemson a new mascot costume” on GoFundMe in jest will instead be used to help protect real tigers in the wild.
The money is headed to the Tigers United University Consortium, and Director Brett Wright says their work is critical to protecting one of nature’s most majestic creatures.
“We are working together to try to save tigers in the wild which is important to us because we are down to fewer than 4,000 animals in the wild now,” says Wright.
The account was created after LSU fans noticed Clemson’s fairly hideous tiger mascot on the sidelines during the National Championship game.
The Consortium’s goal is to double the wild tiger population by 2022. Wright says this donation will help them get closer to that goal.
“It is possible, but it is an uphill battle,” says Wright. “That goal was set by the World Bank Global Tiger Initiative in 2010.”
The consortium is comprised of LSU, Clemson, Auburn, and Missouri, all teams with a tiger mascot. Wright says the organization has two goals, starting with getting more boots on the ground in countries with wild tiger populations.
“We are working with each school to fund Ph.D. students who come from India that will help us by completing their doctorates, and going home to help save tigers,” says Wright.
The second goal is researching more about what can be done to keep tigers alive in the wild.
