LSU mascot Mike VI, a Bengal/Siberian mixed tiger, is displayed on the field before the Florida Gators take on the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on Oct. 6, 2007, in Baton Rouge. (Doug Benc/Getty Images)
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry had harsh words Tuesday for critics of his push to get LSU to revive its tradition of bringing its live tiger mascot to home football games.
“Everybody that has some anxiety over this needs to calm down,” Landry said, adding that his goal is to “honor” Mike.
The governor was on campus for a news conference on free speech policies in higher education.
Reviving the tradition of bringing LSU’s live mascot, Mike the Tiger, has been a pet project of Landry, who has been in ongoing negotiations with LSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine for several weeks, according to a state lawmaker involved in the talks.
Earlier this month, LSU’s veterinary school spokeswoman Ginger Guttner said the institution “is not in discussions to bring Mike to any games this season.”
“I’m hoping we can come to an agreement,” Landry said Tuesday.
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Critics of the move have raised concerns about Mike’s welfare if he were required to attend football games again.
Mike VII, an 8-year-old Siberian-Bengal tiger that became LSU’s official mascot in 2017, has never attended a football game. Previous tigers have been placed in a trailer and taken around the sidelines of home games, and some have even traveled to away games. The university announced it would stop the tradition when it adopted Mike VII as a cub.
Guttner said Mike VI had adverse reactions to visual and auditory stimuli during the pre-game festivities and became resistant to getting into a trailer cage to be taken to Tiger Stadium. His final appearance was for the LSU-McNeese game in 2015, which was canceled because of lightning. Mike VI did not attend any games in 2014.
But these practical concerns did not end the conversations for Landry’s administration, which has proposed acquiring a second tiger — a cub that could be raised to become used to the sights and sounds of LSU’s famously loud football stadium.
Landry said he recently met with Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican who played defensive back for the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1975-78. Pillen recalled seeing Mike IV parked outside the visitor’s locker room when he played at Tiger Stadium in a 1976 game, which ended tied 6-6.
“He said that while it was one of the most intimidating experiences of his life. It was a memory that he will always have and cherish, and he’s ready to come back and watch LSU play again,” Landry said.
Landry said bringing Mike back to games would be an opportunity to showcase LSU’s academics and athletics.
In an interview outside of Mike’s habitat after the press conference, Landry speculated that bringing the tiger to the stadium would “bring back the magic” and could help LSU win more games.
LSU got off to a rough start with its season, starting with a loss to the University of Southern California at a neutral site game in Las Vegas but has since won its last four games. The Tigers next face Ole Miss at home Oct. 12.
Despite experts favoring the Rebels, Landry predicted an LSU victory.
In an interview, LSU Board of Supervisors member Collis Temple Jr., a former LSU basketball star, said while he thinks animal welfare concerns should be heeded, he doesn’t oppose the idea of bringing Mike to games.
“I don’t have a problem with some tradition, if that’s something that the chief of our state wants to see happen,” Temple said.
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