Gov. Landry wants LSU to bring its live tiger mascot back to football games

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 is petitioning LSU to revive its tradition of bringing its live tiger mascot to home football games, even though veterinarians are concerned about forcing the animal to resume what was once a pregame tradition 

Landry and three conservative state officials who are also veterinarians — Surgeon General Ralph Abraham, state Sen. Bill Wheat, R-Ponchatoula, and state Rep. Wayne McMahen, R-Minden — met recently with Oliver Garden, dean of LSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine. In an interview Tuesday, McMahen confirmed with the Illuminator that bringing Mike VII to football games was discussed in the meeting.

“LSU will not bring Mike VII to the Nicholls game and is not in discussions to bring Mike to any games this season,” LSU veterinary school spokeswoman Ginger Guttner said in a statement. 

Mike VII, an 8 year-old 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 to the sidelines of home games, and some have even traveled to away games. The university announced it would stop this tradition when it adopted the current Mike. 

LSU cited the evolution of “responsible care for live exotic animals” and its decision to seek accreditation as a tiger sanctuary for stepping back from this tradition. 

“I just think that the concerns that the [LSU veterinarians] expressed was, how are we going to train an 8- or 9-year-old tiger without stressing him and jeopardizing his health,” McMahen said. 

Kate Kelly, a spokeswoman for Landry, declined to comment for this report. Kevin Litten, a spokesman for Abraham and the Louisiana Department of Health, did not respond to requests for comment. 

“If you had a young tiger — and that’s one of the things I told the governor — you know, you had a young tiger that was trained to handle those situations. But to take a middle-aged tiger that has been captive in a certain way … I think it’d be a struggle,” McMahen said. 

Landry’s request isn’t the first time he’s taken an interest in college athletics. Earlier this year, the governor asked colleges and universities to strip scholarships from athletes not present during the national anthem. LSU declined this request. 

After significant backlash — with many fans pointing out the governor’s wish would effectively disband LSU’s football and basketball teams — Landry said he believes the NCAA should make a consistent rule on the national anthem for all competitors. 

Animal rights activists, including People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals, have consistently protested the keeping of a live tiger mascot on LSU’s campus. Mike’s 15,000-square-foot habitat is nestled between Tiger Stadium and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and was renovated in 2005 at an expense of $3.5 million. 

Mike’s care is supervised by LSU veterinarians and veterinary students. LSU alumnus and political strategist James Carville has joked that Mike enjoys the best health care in the state of Louisiana. 

But bringing Mike back to the stadium would be sure to once again draw the ire of protesters, especially if he had to be coerced to attend. 

Guttner said Mike VI had adverse reactions to visual and auditory stimuli that were part of the pre-game festivities and became resistant to getting into a trailer cage to attend the game. His final appearance in Tiger Stadium was for the LSU-McNeese game in 2015, which was canceled because of lightning. Mike VI did not attend any games in 2014. 

McMahen said he did not know why Landry, a graduate of the University of Louisiana Lafayette and Loyola University law school, had taken an interest in Mike’s presence at LSU games, though he speculated that a major LSU donor asked the governor to intervene.