The drama behind LSU's live tiger on the sidelines, explained

For the first time in nearly a decade, LSU will have a live tiger on the sideline as ESPN’s College GameDay comes to town for a night game at Death Valley against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 11.

LSU has housed a live Tiger mascot, all named Mike, for almost a century. But this will be the first time a tiger has appeared on the sideline since 2015, and that decision hasn’t come without some controversy.

That’s mainly due to the fact that the tiger in question is not Mike, and the decision to bring the tiger to the game was made by Gov. Jeff Landry, who received pushback from LSU officials, according to a report from LouisanaSports.net.

It’s a strange situation, and you’ve probably got questions. Don’t worry, we have you covered with answers.

Wait, LSU has a live tiger mascot?

They sure do! Mike the Tiger first appeared in 1936 and has been a fixture in Baton Rouge ever since. The current Mike — Mike VII — took over in 2017 following the death of his predecessor, and he resides in a $3.7 million habitat adjacent to Tiger Stadium which was constructed in 2005.

But didn’t LSU stop the tradition of bringing Mike on the field?

Yes, back in 2016 following the death of Mike VI. The tiger used to be rolled out onto the field in his cage and situated in such a way that visiting opponents had to pass by him on their way to the locker room. Mike wasn’t forced to get into his trailer before games, so he would occasionally be absent and remain in his habitat for some games, but the tradition has since been done away with entirely.

So why are they doing it with a different tiger?

Since Landry, who attended Louisiana-Lafayette during his undergrad years, received pushback from his attempts to revive the live tiger tradition, he instead reportedly facilitated the delivery of a different tiger from out of state. The tiger is owned by Mitchel Kalmanson, a Florida resident and business owner who operates an “exotic animal talent agency,” through which the tiger was leased. It’s worth noting that neither LSU nor Landry’s office has confirmed responsibility for arranging the tiger delivery.

Why is this so controversial?

Well, there are a few reasons. First of all, a primary concern LSU had with reviving the tradition in the first place — and part of the reason it was ended in 2016 — was the fact that Mike was frequently mistreated on the sideline, with cheerleaders provoking it into roaring by rattling the cage and waving a stuffed tiger.

The decision to bring a tiger back this weekend even prompted a statement from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Per LouisianaSports.net:

“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.”

It’s not just animal rights activists who are concerned. LSU fans also took to social media to decry the “faux” Mike the Tiger. All in all, it seems the attempt to fire up the fan base ahead of a big game had the opposite of the desired effect.

Hold up, exotic animal talent agency? Doesn’t that sound a bit sketchy?

It certainly does, and you wouldn’t be alone in thinking that. In fact, Kalmanson has a long list of citations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the mistreatment of tigers and other animals under his care. Among the list of allegations are multiple instances of allowing a tiger to escape.

Not exactly something you want before wheeling the live tiger out on the field Saturday night in front of an expected sellout crowd of 102,321.