Mike Tyson’s famous pet tiger, along with his other tigers, was eventually given up or donated as the animals got older, sicker, or involved in a serious injury incident on his property.

What happened to the tiger?

  • Tyson owned several Bengal tigers over the years, keeping them as unusual “house pets” at his Nevada estate.
  • As the tigers grew into massive adults, he realized they were too dangerous to keep and donated two of them to a sanctuary.
  • The last tiger, a Bengal named Kenya, became ill and old (her eyes and hips deteriorated), which convinced Tyson to give her up even though he had grown deeply attached.

The infamous “arm‑ripping” incident

  • Tyson has said Kenya once severely injured a woman’s hand after the woman trespassed over his fence and jumped into the tiger’s enclosure to play with her.
  • The woman reportedly tried to sue him, but the case fell apart once it became clear she was unlawfully in the enclosure.
  • Tyson said he voluntarily paid her around $250,000 after seeing how badly she was injured, calling it a “bad accident” caused by treating a wild animal like a plaything.

How Tyson feels about owning tigers now

  • In later interviews, Tyson has openly called himself “foolish” for trying to keep big cats as pets, saying they can kill people by accident because of their strength.
  • He’s now more aware of the dangers of private ownership of tigers and other exotic animals, and regrets the period when he had them living at his home.

In short: Mike Tyson’s tiger Kenya (and his other tigers) were given up once they aged, got sick, or became too dangerous, especially after an attack on a trespassing woman that led him to pay a large settlement and walk away from keeping big cats.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.