A live caged Bengal tiger made his debut for the first time in nearly a decade onto Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Saturday, drawing severe criticism from the crowds and animal protection groups. The tiger, Omar Bradley, owned by Mitchel Kalmanson, who allegedly has a long history of mistreating tigers, was wheeled out in the field in a cage covered with a black curtain as the stadium lights went dark.
Moments later, the spotlight flashed onto the cage.
The tiger had been lying down before the spectacle, and it was all too apparent that he was agitated and nervous as he got up and paced in his cage. A few minutes later he was driven off.
It had been Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry who pushed for the return of the tiger. Since 2015, Louisiana State University had moved away from the spectacle and has kept their mascot tiger named Mike VII in a 15,000 square foot enclosure which cost $3.7million in 2005 when erected on the campus. Landry had pushed LSU to use Mike the Tiger on the field before the Alabama game, but two university vice presidents reported the veterinary school would not allow it.
Supporters of the stadium display of Omar Bradley had been disappointed because he didn’t roar.
The PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Wildlife Research Klayton Rutherford stated:
whether the tiger is confined to campus or shipped in from elsewhere, no reputable facility would subject a tiger to such chaos and stress…
Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham, who is also a veterinarian, said he had spent time with the tiger, stating the wild cat was comfortable in captivity and enjoyed the attention of humans.
Alabama handed LSU its first home loss at Tiger Stadium since 2022. Fans from LSU had been leaving the stadium by the end of the third quarter. The score was 42-13.
So much for that ‘tradition’ helping to win games one critic responded after the team’s loss.
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