The tiger who will appear at LSU’s clash with Alabama reportedly belongs to a former circus performer who has faced a litany of animal abuse allegations.
Mitchel Kalmanson is accused of failing to properly feed big cats, as well as keeping them in a vehicle with maggots, food waste and excrement. On two occasions, his tigers have escaped, too.
On Saturday, for the first time in nearly a decade, a live tiger will be part of gameday in Baton Rouge.
Louisiana governor Jeff Landry reportedly led the push to bring back the stunt, which has sparked a furious backlash among some fans and campaigners.
LSU still has a tiger on campus in a $3.7million habitat, which was erected in 2005. For years, the school would bring the animal to games.
A live Tiger is returning to LSU’s sidelines this weekend for the game against Alabama
More than 100,000 fans will cram into Tiger Stadium for Saturday’s game against Alabama
But the tradition was stopped in 2015 after an animal reportedly had ‘adverse reactions’ to pregame sights and sounds.
LSU’s official mascot – a tiger named Mike VII – still lives in Baton Rouge but the school will controversially ship in an animal from Florida.
And, according to Front Office Sports, the new tiger belongs Kalmanson, who has a long history of allegedly mistreating tigers.
Kalmanson is linked with the Lester Kalmanson Agency, which provides animals for circuses and zoos and also specializes in transporting exotic wildlife.
According to the agency’s website, Mitchel Kalmanson has previously provided circus animals throughout the USA, Mexico, South Africa and Europe.
He has also transported – among others – Lions to Paris, Pandas to South East Asia and Russian-Siberian foxes to places around the world.
Kalmanson has come in for criticism by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), which claims he has ‘failed to meet minimum federal standards’.
In 2003 and 2004, according to PETA, his tigers escaped during circus performances.
Mitchel Kalmanson (right) has faced a litany of animal abuse allegations over recent decades
Louisiana governor Jeff Landry has been pushing for the return of tigers at LSU games
Then, in 2006, two cubs caught a bone disease after not being properly fed. One died.
A US Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection report claims that in 2015, Kalmanson prevented tigers from taking daily exercise and kept them in a filthy vehicles.
It will reportedly take 10 hours to bring the tiger from Florida to Baton Rouge. The animal is named Omar Bradley, after the legendary US Army general.
According to the LSU Tiger Athletic Foundation website, ‘LSU has not purchased a tiger since Mike III in 1958, and LSU does not support the for-profit breeding of tigers.
‘By providing a home for a tiger that needs one, LSU hopes to raise awareness about the problem of irresponsible breeding and the plight of tigers kept illegally and/or inappropriately in captivity in the U.S.
‘The tiger habitat and LSU’s animal care plan are licensed by the USDA. The facility, tiger and animal care programs are inspected annually to ensure that they comply with the Federal Animal Welfare Act and other USDA policies and guidelines.’