Louisiana governor supports bringing back tradition of having a live tiger at LSU football games

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. Jeff Landry confirmed his support on Tuesday of restarting the tradition of bringing Louisiana State University's live tiger mascot onto the football field ahead of home games.

It has been nearly a decade since a Bengal Tiger has been rolled out in a cage under the lights of Death Valley, LSU's famed Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge where the school's football team plays. University officials have not publicly said whether they are willing to revive the tradition, but that didn't stop Landry from sharing his own opinion when asked by reporters.

“I think the opportunity to bring our mascot back onto that field is an unbelievable opportunity,” Landry said during an unrelated news conference on Tuesday.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has vehemently objected to the idea. In early September, the organization sent a letter to Landry urging against the tradition, describing it as cruel and dangerous to the mascot's welfare and adding that tigers are “naturally solitary animals who don’t belong in rowdy football stadiums.”