PETA Statement: Tiger at LSU Football Game Was Apparently Imported Illegally

For Immediate Release:
November 9, 2024

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Baton Rouge, La. –

Omar Bradley, the tiger at today’s Louisiana State University (LSU) football game, was provided by Mitchel Kalmanson, a notorious animal exhibitor who has racked up a litany of violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act spanning nearly 25 years. Kalmanson’s federal citations include multiple incidents in which tigers he owned escaped during performances, and this year he’s already been cited for being unable to provide records showing animals were receiving adequate veterinary care. Additionally, Louisiana state law prohibits big cats, including tigers, from being imported into the state without a specific exemption, which Kalmanson apparently does not have and isn’t eligible for. Please see the following statement from PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Wildlife Research Klayton Rutherford:

Trucking a stressed tiger across state lines and cramming him into a clear box in a raucous football stadium is not only cruel and dangerous, it’s also apparently illegal in Louisiana, so it’s no surprise that only a scofflaw showman like Mitchel Kalmanson would do it. PETA has filed an urgent complaint with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries asking it to pursue all available remedies against Kalmanson for this cheap stunt and urges LSU to ignore the bizarre—and unlawful—mandate from Louisiana’s attention-seeking governor and reject the idea of bringing tormented wild animals to games.

LSU dropped the dangerous and barbaric tradition of bringing a live tiger to games nearly a decade ago on the advice of its own veterinarians. Since then, the passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act and the public’s growing outrage at the use and abuse of animals for entertainment have made it clear that such ridiculous Tiger King-style displays are regressive and out of touch—and LSU’s own fans agree.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.