Tiger King Spotted in Red Square

Students at the University of Washington have reported an increase in sightings of the “Tiger King” on campus recently. Researchers from the Department of Criminal Zoology have speculated that the reason for the increase in appearances is due to the recent “False Spring” stretches of sunshine in Seattle, which brings out tiger prey such as mice and meerkats.

The “Tiger King,” whose real name is Ty Gerkin, is often seen pushing a large cart that is adorned with a life size plush tiger. They’re known for their whimsical outfits and hobby of drawing large, complex diagrams of pieces of machinery and architecture. 

We first interviewed Gerkin back in 2020 when Tiger King, the documentary, originally came out. 

Gerkin said, “It was a tough time for me, everyone thought I was cosplaying an animal abusing felon- but this is just who I am.”

UW’s “Tiger King” has been the subject of controversy year after year due to a long history of public incidents involving the plush tiger. Multiple visitors to campus have been seen fleeing Red Square after mistaking the stuffed animal for a real tiger, insisting they heard it roar. There was even a small PETA protest against Gerkin for their possession of a quote “real, breathing tiger.” After they discovered that the tiger is fake, they went back to their usual protests of the UW Primate Lab. 

Gerkin was caught in some hot water back in 2021 after Dubs got into an alleged altercation with the plush tiger, apparently making sexual advances towards the plush. Gerkin responded by screaming at the beloved school mascot, “My friend is not your sex doll!”

Old campus characters such as Lightsaber Man, Whip Man, and Cone Guy have started reappearing around UW to take back “territory” that was once theirs. This appears to be the beginning of a UW Turf War amongst the strangest pedestrians around campus. 

Off Leash News will follow this developing story.