The new video display scoreboard in Tiger Stadium’s north side as seen from the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Sept. 13, 2024. (Matthew Perschall for Louisiana Illuminator)
The owner of a live Bengal tiger slated to appear at the LSU-Alabama game Saturday has a history of having his big cats escape as the result of employee errors.
The university and Gov. Jeff Landry’s office won’t say who would be responsible for any accidents involving Omar Bradley, a 1.5-year-old tiger that’s being transported from Florida for the game. Landry and Surgeon General Ralph Abraham have pushed to return a live mascot to the sidelines of Tiger Stadium.
After the Illuminator confirmed that a live tiger will appear in Baton Rouge at the LSU-Alabama game on Saturday, WBRZ reported that the tiger is being supplied by Mitchel Kalmanson, who has a long history of federal citations for mistreating animals.
Kalmanson owns several businesses in Florida, including an exotic animal talent agency, which leases live tigers and other animals for circuses and events, and he runs a company that sells liability insurance for exotic animal appearances. The Illuminator left a message with Kalmanson’s office which has not yet been returned.
LSU spokesmen Todd Woodward and Zach Labbé have not responded to four emails sent since Wednesday afternoon requesting comment about who will be responsible for the tiger and any insurance necessary for his appearance. Kate Kelly, a spokeswoman for the governor, declined an initial request for comment and has not responded to messages asking about who is paying for the insurance or whether Landry knew of Kalmanson’s history.
It is unknown whether taxpayers or private donors will fund the insurance and other costs related to the tiger.
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In addition to two reported escapes, as well as having insufficient barriers between tigers and the public, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals found numerous U.S. Department of Agriculture citations against Kalmanson dating back 24 years for alleged mistreatment of wild animals in his care.
The citations include neglecting to provide veterinary care, improper feeding, failing to provide sufficient space for his animals, insufficient record keeping and not allowing inspectors to check on the animals.
“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,” Klayton Rutherford, PETA Foundation associate director of captive wildlife research, said in a statement to the Illuminator. “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.”
Landry’s initial request was for LSU to bring its own live tiger mascot, Mike VII, to games. Previous tigers have attended LSU football games, most recently Mike VI in 2015. LSU announced it was discontinuing this tradition when it adopted Mike VII in 2017 out of humane concerns.
Landry did not attend LSU but claims to be a lifelong LSU football fan.
“Our hope is that maybe we can get this tiger to roar a couple of times, and that’ll indicate how many touchdowns we’ll have and it’ll be more than Alabama,” Landry said Friday in an interview with Fox News.
.@LAGovJeffLandry spoke to Fox News earlier today about the tiger. @la_surgeon also told Fox he met with the tiger last night #lalege #lagov pic.twitter.com/WrcLoU86ka
— Piper Hutchinson (@ByPiperHutch) November 8, 2024
Previous Mikes have been provoked to roaring by beating on his cage and taunting from the costumed Mike the Tiger mascot, a practice LSU discontinued.
Abraham told Fox News he met Omar Bradley Thursday night. He said the tiger was comfortable around people and well cared for.
“As both a veterinarian and medical doctor, I couldn’t think of a better day to literally and figuratively be a tiger,” Abraham said in a statement to Fox News.
Mike VI did not often attend games. LSU Veterinary School spokeswoman Ginger Guttner said in a September statement he had adverse reactions to visual and auditory stimuli during pre-game festivities and became resistant to getting into his trailer cage to attend the game.
LSU’s Tiger Stadium is notoriously loud and pregame festivities include loud music and fireworks displays.
The news of Omar Bradley’s visit has been met with mixed reactions on social media.
Some die-hard fans pointed out that he is not Mike, a beloved mascot, and speculated that his presence could be bad luck for the rivalry game. Some users on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, referred to Omar Bradley as a “scab tiger,” referring to the derogatory name for a worker who crosses a picket line.
Others praised Landry and expressed excitement at seeing a tiger in the stadium again after many years.
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