Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry wants a new live tiger to bring to LSU football games

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Gov. Jeff Landry says he wants to bring back the old LSU tradition of having a live tiger at football games.

According to a webpage about the university’s live mascot , the tradition included Mike the Tiger riding through Tiger Stadium in a travel trailer and parking next to the opponent’s locker room where players would have to see the animal to get to the facility.

Landry said that reviving the tradition of bringing a live tiger to football games would be an “unbelievable opportunity.” He added that it would be a chance to showcase LSU’s academic and athletic greatness, saying that many people in Louisiana would appreciate it.

He said people who have voiced concerns over bringing back the old-time tradition “needs to calm down.” Landry said he believes that tigers living in sanctuaries live longer compared to tigers in the wild as they have access to veterinarian care.

In early September, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent Landry a letter calling the tradition dangerous and cruel, arguing it’s not good for the animal’s welfare.

“Tigers are naturally solitary animals who don’t belong in rowdy football stadiums, and even LSU’s own veterinarians are apparently rightly against the governor on this,” said PETA Foundation Senior Director of Captive Animal Welfare Debbie Metzler in a news release. “Going back to the bad old days of using a wild animal as a sideline sideshow in 2024 is the last thing LSU should do, and PETA is appealing to Gov. Landry to drop this boneheaded idea.”

BRProud has reached out to LSU for a statement.

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