In 1943, CBS Radio donated a lion cub to the university for the purpose of having a "live lion" mascot.

According to a newspaper clipping from the time, "a homesick baby lion went back to his mother today in Central Park Zoo, New York City. After spending three days on the Pennsylvania State College campus as mascot of the Nittany Lion athletic teams, the cub was shipped back home ... when he failed to take sufficient nourishment." A mountain lion is not a domesticated animal. It would be cruel to keep such an animal caged for the purpose of dragging it out for sporting events. If USG is concerned about student spirit, surely there are better ways to accomplish it than by torturing a wild animal.