This past weekend, a live Bengal tiger named Omar Bradley made an appearance at the LSU-Alabama football game, which took place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at Tiger Stadium on LSU's campus. Omar appeared in a cage that's usually occupied by a tiger named Mike VII, the official LSU mascot who lives in an enclosure on LSU's campus and who has never been inside Tiger Stadium. Omar was carried into the stadium just before 6:45 pm kickoff and, after about seven minutes on the field where he walked around the cage, was taken off the field. It was the bright idea of the Republican Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, to bring back a live tiger to an LSU football game—a practice that was phased out in 2015. Governor Landry stated that bringing the tiger into the stadium was an "effort to honor the history of Mike the Tiger," a tradition that began in 1936 when the first live tiger named "Mike" arrived at LSU.
NOLA.com recounts that the first Mike the Tiger died in 1956 of kidney disease after serving as LSU's mascot for almost 20 years. While the first three Mikes were purchased from money collected through student fees and fundraisers, all of the tigers, starting with Mike IV, were donated to the university. There have been seven Mikes in total, including the current Mike VII, who has been the mascot since 2016. NOLA.com explains that Mikes I through V were brought to many home and away games, but Mike VI (2005-2016) ended this practice when he "increasingly refused to enter his travel trailer." Mike VI's last game was in 2015, and he died in 2016.
While Governor Landry wanted to force Mike VII into the stadium for the game, LSU's veterinary school refused to give permission, explaining that Mike VII had never before been removed from his enclosure.
The decision to bring in Omar the tiger for last weekend's game was strongly criticized by animal welfare organizations such as PETA. NOLA.com quotes PETA's media division senior manager David Perle, who stated:
"It's shameful and out of touch with today's respect for wild species that LSU has bowed to Gov. Landry's campaign to display a live tiger at its football games to amuse the fans. . . LSU rightly ended this idiotic, archaic practice nearly a decade ago after recognizing that it was cruel to subject a sensitive big cat to the noise, lights, and crowds in a football stadium . . . Whether the tiger is confined to campus or shipped in from elsewhere, no reputable facility would subject a tiger to such chaos and stress, and PETA and nearly 50,000 of its supporters have already called on Landry to let up and leave big cats alone — and are now urging LSU to grow a spine and just say no."
Animal welfare organizations and LSU fans have also criticized Omar's owner Mitchel Kalmanson, for what NOLA.com describes as "his past citations for improper care of animals from the U.S. Department of Agriculture." According to NOLA.com, Kalmanson doesn't seem to take the criticisms seriously, though, as he stated that "everything in life bring naysayers" and explained away animal rights concerns by countering that "The animal was not sedated . . . The animal was habituated. The animal did not have its ears pinned."
Governor Landry has also been criticized for the effort—and possible money—he spent on getting a live tiger to the LSU game, but his office has stated that no state of Louisiana or LSU funds were used to ship Omar from Florida's Worldwide Exotic Animal Talent Agency to appear at the game. His office also hasn't stated who *did* supply the money, however, so it's currently a mystery.
What an incredibly stupid—not to mention cruel—decision it was to transport Omar the tiger from Florida just to spend a few minutes on a football field. It's also awful that LSU keeps Mike the tiger on campus, even if, according to his official website, he does have a $3.7 million 15,000 square foot habitat to live in, complete with "enhancements" like "a comfort rock, rockwork tree, improved water features, and resurfacing of the pool." I surely hope Governor Landry will learn something from the backlash and never attempt this kind of ill-informed, ignorant stunt again.
Previously:
• Is this a tiger on the loose in North Carolina? (video)
