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Bengal tiger named Omar Bradley on way to Baton Rouge to attend LSU-Alabama game, owner's office says
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BATON ROUGE — A Bengal tiger named Omar Bradley was on its way to Baton Rouge on Thursday for an appearance at this weekend's LSU-Alabama game, according to its owner's office in Florida.
Omar Bradley is about 1.5 years old, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said. PETA opposes the tiger's appearance before 102,000 people Saturday night, saying that subjecting the animal to an extremely raucous crowd is cruel.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry discussed the reasoning for bringing the tiger to the LSU-Alabama game on Fox News Friday.
"This is about tradition," Landry said. "This is about from Mike I through [Mike] VI, we have had a live mascot on the field like many other colleges have before. And of course, we're honoring those Mikes and no one is going to take away the honor and respect and love we have for Mike VII."
"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.
Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham also gave a statement to the network.
"We had numerous discussions and took every step to ensure this was safe for the tiger," Abraham said. "I spent hours with the tiger last night and you could tell he was comfortable around people and enjoyed the attention. He's in great health, well care for by his owners and socially acclimated. As both a veterinarian and medical doctor, I couldn't think of a better day to literally and figuratively be a tiger."
The tiger belongs to Mitchel Kalmanson, who wasn't available Thursday because he was on his way to Baton Rouge with the young tiger, his office assistant said.
According to PETA, Kalmanson has loaned tigers and other exotic animals to circuses in the past and has also been cited by the USDA multiple times for the improper care and handling of exotic animals.
"This tiger in particular is only a year and a half old, and I can very confidently say has never been in a stadium, with tens of thousands of screaming football fans. This is going to be extremely stressful for this tiger," Klayton Rutherford, the PETA Foundation's associate director of captive wildlife research, said.
Gov. Jeff Landry last month suggested bringing a live tiger mascot into Tiger Stadium during games, as was done during his days as a student. LSU stopped the practice nearly a decade ago after receiving a U.S. Department of Agriculture license to hold its mascot Mike VII on campus.
Bringing Mike VII into the stadium was never seriously considered because it potentially could have imperiled LSU's status with the USDA.
The Louisiana Illuminator first reported Thursday that a tiger would be in the stadium, citing state Sen. Bill Wheat, R-Ponchatoula.
State Surgeon General and veterinarian Ralph Abraham, the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine and the LSU public relations department did not return multiple calls throughout the day Thursday seeking details.
WBRZ had heard throughout Thursday that the tiger was named "Omar" and late in the day PETA said its records showed that Kalmanson had a tiger named Omar Bradley who was born in May 2023. An associate of Kalmanson, reached at the insurance company he owns in Maitland, Florida, said the tiger is full-sized and was traveling to Baton Rouge.
"He's big. As far as his age, I don't know. They have quite a few of them," said the assistant, who identified herself as Kay.
Kay did not know whether the tiger and Kalmanson would stop somewhere for the night before reaching Baton Rouge, nor where the tiger might stay while in Louisiana.
Maitland is near Orlando and the drive to Baton Rouge takes about 10.5 hours, though a trip with a tiger might take longer.
In a statement, PETA said that regardless of which tiger would be taken into the stadium — Mike VII or another one — the venue was inappropriate.
"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," Rutherford said. "Whether the tiger is confined to campus or shipped in from elsewhere, no reputable facility would subject a tiger to such chaos and stress."
The tiger presumably is named after Omar Bradley, the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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