LSU will have a Live Tiger on the Sideline

LSU will have a Live Tiger on the Sideline

Saturday Night in Death Valley is getting even crazier when the LSU Tigers host the Alabama Crimson Tide. For the first time since 2015, a live tiger will be inside the stadium, according to a report from LouisianaSports.net.

The tradition used to be a regular occurrence at Tiger Stadium. Fans used to see LSU’s live tiger mascot Mike paraded around the stadium in a cage ahead of kickoff for home games. With the then mascot being parked outside the visiting locker room (talk about intimidation). However, the tradition stopped following the passing of Mike VI.

The tiger that is reported to be field side will not be the current LSU mascot Mike VII. It will instead be a tiger brought from a refuge outside of Louisiana instead.

The acquisition of the tiger came from Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, who has been in support of bringing back the long-standing tradition.

“I think the opportunity to bring our mascot back onto the field is an unbelievable opportunity,” said Landry in an October story.

While Landry and many Tiger fans rejoice at this idea, there is plenty of push back including from LSU itself and PETA. The concern is that with over 100,000 screaming fans the tiger could be terrified and traumatized. 

“These are naturally shy animals that shun human contact. Death Valley is famous for being the loudest and rowdiest stadium,” said Klayton Rutherford, associated director of captive wildlife research at the PETA Foundation. “It is great for football fans but terrifying to Mike. LSU got that when it stopped bringing Mike to football games nearly a decade ago.”

If there was any time for this tradition to come back, however, it would be for this marquee matchup between LSU and Alabama that has playoff hopes on the line. The No. 15 LSU Tigers are set to face off with the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 pm EST. 

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Expect a raucous crowd for this game that has ESPN’s College GameDay heading to Baton Rouge, LA. The addition of a live tiger will intensify this by a ton.

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