Costumed Mascots
From 1989 through 2012, the university chose not to purchase another live cougar, and Shasta existed only as a costumed mascot. During this time, although a live cougar appeared in University of Houston's "Learning. Leading." campaign named "Tigger", this cougar did not live on campus nor was it owned by the university. Another live mascot, Shasta VI was adopted in 2012 through a partnership with the Houston Zoo, but a costumed student is still used for game appearances. The costumed Sasha mascot eventually began making appearances with Shasta, and now the two are seen at many University of Houston events.
Read more about this topic: Shasta (mascot)