Governor Jeff Landry expressed his support on Tuesday for the revival of the tradition of bringing Louisiana State University’s live tiger mascot onto the football field before home games. It has been nearly a decade since a Bengal Tiger was last seen in a cage under the lights of Death Valley, LSU’s iconic Tiger Stadium.
While university officials have yet to publicly comment on the potential revival of this practice, Landry emphasized the value of bringing the mascot back. “I think the opportunity to bring our mascot back onto that field is an unbelievable opportunity,” he stated during a separate news conference.
However, the proposal has faced significant opposition from animal rights groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which argues that the practice is cruel and detrimental to the tiger’s welfare.
In a letter sent to Landry in early September, PETA criticized the idea of using a wild animal as a spectacle at football games, stating that tigers are inherently solitary creatures that should not be in crowded stadiums.
Responding to these concerns, Landry urged critics to “calm down.” Currently, LSU’s live mascot, Mike VII, an 8-year-old tiger housed in a 15,000-square-foot enclosure on campus, is not taken onto the field, following the passing of the previous tiger mascot, Mike VI, in 2016.
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