BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Illuminator Louisiana) – The owner of a live Bengal tiger scheduled to appear Saturday during the LSU-Alabama game is used to seeing his big cats escape due to employee errors.

The university and Gov. Jeff Landry’s office won’t say who is responsible for any accident involving Omar Bradley, a 1.5-year-old tiger transported from Florida for the game. Landry and Surgeon General Ralph Abraham pushed to bring back a live mascot to the Tiger Stadium sidelines.

After the Illuminator confirmed that a live tiger would appear in Baton Rouge during the LSU-Alabama game on Saturday, Fox 8 confirmed that the tiger was provided by Mitchel Kalmanson, who has a long history of federal citations for animal abuse.

Kalmanson owns several businesses in Florida, including one artistic agency for exotic animalswhich rents live tigers and other animals for circuses and events, and he runs a company that sells liability insurance for exotic animal appearances. THE Illuminator left a message with Kalmanson’s office that has not yet been returned.

LSU spokespeople Todd Woodward and Zach Labbé did not respond to four emails sent since Wednesday afternoon seeking comment on who will be responsible for the tiger and any insurance needed for its appearance. Kate Kelly, a spokeswoman for the governor, declined an initial request for comment and did not respond to messages asking who pays for the insurance or whether Landry knew Kalmanson’s history.

It’s unclear whether taxpayers or private donors will fund insurance and other tiger-related costs.

In addition to two reported escapes, as well as insufficient barriers between the tigers and the public, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals found many quotes from the US Department of Agriculture against Kalmanson dating back 24 years for allegations of mistreatment of wild animals in his care.

Citations include neglecting to provide veterinary care, improper feeding, failing to provide enough space for his animals, insufficient record keeping and not allowing inspectors to check on the animals.

“It is shameful and out of touch with today’s respect for wildlife that LSU bowed to Governor Landry’s campaign to display a live tiger at its football games to entertain fans,” said Klayton Rutherford, associate director of captive wildlife research at the PETA Foundation. in a statement to Illuminator. “Whether the tiger is confined on campus or shipped from elsewhere, no reputable institution would subject a tiger to such chaos and stress, and PETA and nearly 50,000 of its supporters have already called on Landry to let it go and leave the big cats alone — and are now urging LSU to grow a backbone and say no.

Landry’s initial request was that LSU bring its own live tiger mascot, Mike VII, to the games. Previous Tigers have attended LSU football games, most recently Mike VI in 2015. LSU announced it was ending that tradition when it adopted Mike VII in 2017 out of concern for humanity.

Landry did not attend LSU but claims to be a lifelong LSU football fan.

“We’re hoping that maybe we can make that tiger roar a few times, and that will indicate how many touchdowns we’ll have and it’ll be more Alabama,” Landry said Friday in an interview with Fox News.

Previous Mikes have been incited to roar by banging on his cage and mocking Mike the Tiger’s costumed mascot, a practice abandoned by LSU.

Abraham told Fox News that he met with Omar Bradley on Thursday evening. He said the tiger was comfortable around people and was well taken care of.

“As a veterinarian and doctor, I couldn’t imagine a better day to be a tiger, literally and figuratively,” Abraham said in a statement to Fox News.

Mike VI didn’t often attend games. LSU veterinary school spokeswoman Ginger Guttner said in a September statement that he had adverse reactions to visual and auditory stimuli during pregame festivities and became reluctant to enter his cage to watch the match.

LSU’s Tiger Stadium is notoriously loud, and pregame festivities include loud music and fireworks.

News of Omar Bradley’s visit sparked mixed reactions on social media.

Some die-hard fans pointed out that he wasn’t Mike, a beloved mascot, and speculated that his presence could bring bad luck for the rivalry game. Some users on

Others praised Landry and expressed excitement about seeing a tiger in the stadium again after many years.

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