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Mascot fight between school, Ohio goes down to the wire

FILE - In this Sept. 19, 2006, file photo, supporters of the football team at Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio, collect donations at the high school's Paul Brown Tiger Stadium to care for a tiger cub leased to serve as the team's mascot, "Obie." The football team has had a live tiger cub mascot at games for decades, but the team's 2015 season may begin without a tiger cub at games unless state officials receive an affidavit required by Ohio's revised wildlife regulations enacted in 2012, attesting tiger cubs leased to serve as mascots will live at an accredited facility and be cared for throughout their lives. (Glenn B. Dettman/The Independent via AP, File) FILE - In this Sept. 19, 2006, file photo, supporters of the football team at Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio, collect donations at the high school's Paul Brown Tiger Stadium to care for a tiger cub leased to serve as the team's mascot, "Obie." The football team has had a live tiger cub mascot at games for decades, but the team's 2015 season may begin without a tiger cub at games unless state officials receive an affidavit required by Ohio's revised wildlife regulations enacted in 2012, attesting tiger cubs leased to serve as mascots will live at an accredited facility and be cared for throughout their lives. (Glenn B. Dettman/The Independent via AP, File)

By Associated Press August 25, 2015 1 min read

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – An Ohio high school football team that has had a live tiger cub at games for decades might kick off the season Thursday without its traditional mascot as boosters try to find a way to meet state rules for keeping dangerous animals.

A limited exemption for the tradition at Massillon’s (MAS’-ih-lahn) Washington High School was included in the law enacted after a suicidal man released dozens of dangerous animals from his Zanesville-area farm in 2011. Ohio’s 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.