Louisiana Governor Supports Return of Live Tiger Mascot

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has voiced his support for reinstating Louisiana State University's tradition of bringing its live tiger mascot onto the football field before home games. This practice, absent for nearly a decade, involved a Bengal tiger, known as Mike, being paraded in a cage in Tiger Stadium. Landry's statement came during an unrelated news conference on Tuesday, although LSU officials have yet to indicate whether they will revive the custom.

Animal rights organization PETA has opposed this idea, arguing it is detrimental to the tiger's well-being. In a letter to Landry, PETA described the practice as "cruel and dangerous," stressing that tigers are "naturally solitary animals who don't belong in rowdy football stadiums." Landry, however, called for "everybody that has some anxiety over this" to "calm down."

LSU has not yet commented on the matter. The current mascot, Mike VII, a 345-pound tiger, lives in a spacious enclosure on campus and is not brought onto the field. LSU's previous mascot, Mike VI, appeared at games until his death in 2016. Despite the controversy, LSU maintains that housing a live mascot serves to educate the public about tiger conservation and the issues surrounding tigers bred illegally or inappropriately kept in captivity. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)