Along thesidewalk in front of the tennis court, Lacumba, Southern University’s officialmascot, can be found relaxing in her pen.
For SouthernUniversity, Lacumba is a representation of pride.
“I think it’s agreat privilege to be an HBCU with a live mascot; it’s showing our schoolspirit,” said Brittany Norris, a freshman nursing major from Austin, Texas.
Lacumba, whosename means “Heart of Africa,” has been with Southern for over a decade.
For years,rumors have been circulating how she is being taken care of.
”I went to SGA (Student GovernmentAssociation) to see how Lacumba was being maintained after hearing rumors thatshe wasn’t receiving adequate care,” said Daphne Elly, a freshman criminaljustice major from New Orleans.
Among the mythsabout Lacumba: She has beendeclawed, defanged, her voice box has been removed and that she is not beingfed.
“They saysomeone from LSU started the rumors, but I don’t care how it got started. Ijust want to dispel them,” said Jayson Dogan, a senior zoology major fromBaton, Rouge.
According toDogan, some people don’t even know who Lacumba is, and when they learn abouther it is by-way-of the negative rumors.
Dogan is theanimal caretaker for Lacumba.
He requested theposition and has had it for the past four years.
“I was a littlenervous at first, but that’s normal,” he said. “I have never had any badexperiences though, and I was very well trained.”
Dogan had toundergo training for two months in order to obtain the position.
Hisresponsibilities include feeding Lacumba and washing out her cage, every night.
“I come in atnight and feed her real horse meat with additives, and run with her around thecage so that she can exercise and it can seem more like the wild,” Dogansaid.
Lacumba hasnever experienced actual wildlife so Dogan tries to relate her to the wild asmuch as possible.
There have alsobeen some concerns about the size of Lacumba’s cage.
“Right now thejunior class is working with the administration to build a bigger cage, andprobably put it in a new location,” Dogan said.
