BATON ROUGE, La. — For the first time in almost ten years, a Bengal tiger was brought onto the field of Tiger Stadium prior to the kickoff of the game between No. 14 LSU and No. 11 Alabama, granting the desire of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry.
The tiger introduced during the event was not Mike VII, the university’s live mascot who resides on campus.
LSU had previously decided not to have future mascots appear on the field following the passing of Mike VI in 2016. The former mascot had been diagnosed with a rare cancer and participated in 33 out of 58 home games from 2007 to 2015.
Currently, Mike VII, an 8-year-old, 345-pound tiger, was donated to LSU from a sanctuary in 2017, yet he is not allowed on the field during games. However, fans can still visit his spacious 15,000-square-foot enclosure located close to the stadium.
In a bid to circumvent the university’s restrictions, Governor Landry facilitated the transportation of a tiger from Florida to make a special appearance, a plan that sparked protests from animal rights groups outside the stadium.
As the tiger was wheeled onto the field, it was concealed under a black curtain while large display screens aired a brief video about the lineage of LSU’s live mascots.
With the stadium lights dimmed and a spotlight focused on the cage, the curtain lifted to unveil the tiger, eliciting cheers from numerous fans. Initially resting, the tiger soon began to walk around its enclosure in a circular motion.
Shortly after the reveal, the cage was removed from the field as other pregame activities continued.
