Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Monday defended his push to add a live tiger to the sideline of LSU football games and brushed aside the concerns of animal rights groups.
This past weekend, at Landry’s behest, LSU brought a tiger named Omar Bradley to its stadium for a game against Alabama, despite the animal’s handler facing federal scrutiny. PETA has accused the caretaker, Mitchel Kalmanson, of not meeting the standards of the Animal Welfare Act, and published federal citations given to Kalmanson including a lack of proper documentation for animals, insufficient protections during events, and animal abuse and neglect.
The school hadn’t introduced a live tiger to a game since 2015, when former live mascot Mike VI experienced adverse reactions to the loud atmosphere and flashing lights.
Speaking at a live event Monday after LSU lost 42-13 to Alabama on Saturday night, Landry called critics “woke” and criticized the LSU football team for its defeat while Omar Bradley, the tiger, was in attendance.
“Our tiger, our live tiger, unfortunately, disappointingly, was the only tiger who showed up Saturday. I’m sorry,” Landry said, according to The Advocate.
Landry added: “It’s about tradition. At the end of the day, these woke people have tried to take tradition out of this country. It’s tradition that built this country.” He also said people told him they remembered live tigers at home games more than some of the football team’s best on-field moments. And he lamented that officials “threw out” Omar Bradley from public view “after 10 minutes.”
It remains unclear who paid for the big cat to come to Tiger Stadium on Saturday, and Landry’s office told The Advocate that state money did not contribute. Landry has long been an advocate for live tigers and Monday marked at least the fourth time in 2024 he’s made public comments about the species.
Mike VI, the tiger who was retired from football games nine years ago, attended 33 of LSU’s 58 home contests from 2007 through 2015. He died from a rare cancer in 2016.
While 8-year-old Mike VII does not go to games, he has been LSU’s official mascot since 2017 and lives near the stadium. The school declined to make him available on Saturday, leading to Omar Bradley’s role.
LSU representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.
