Louisiana leaders discuss getting a second live tiger to bring to LSU football games

LSU mascot Mike VI, a Bengal/Siberian mixed tiger, is displayed on the field before the Florida Gators take on the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 2007, in Baton Rouge. (Doug Benc/) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.)

Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham has put forward a solution to address LSU's reluctance to bring its live tiger mascot to football games: Get a second tiger.

Reviving the tradition of bringing LSU's live mascot, Mike the Tiger, has been a pet project of Gov. Jeff Landry and Abraham, who have led ongoing negotiations with LSU's veterinary schools for several weeks, according to a state lawmaker involved in the talks.

In an interview Thursday, Abraham said he would support getting a second tiger "if that's what it takes."

Abraham, who earned his bachelor's, veterinarian and medical degrees from LSU, said he believed university alumni could be counted on to fund a second habitat for the new tiger, which he thinks should be a cub that he recommends naming "Mikey."

While Abraham said he believes the safety of the animal should be paramount, he thinks being confined to his habitat next to the Maravich Assembly Center is not good for Mike.

"He needs to roar occasionally," Abraham said. "At least let him enjoy a little bit of life."

Earlier this month, LSU's veterinary school spokeswoman Ginger Guttner said the institution "is not in discussions to bring Mike to any games this season."

Mike VII, an 8-year-old tiger that became LSU's official mascot in 2017, has never attended a football game. Previous tigers have been placed in a trailer and taken to the sidelines of home games, and some have even traveled to away games. The university announced it would stop the tradition when it adopted Mike VII as a cub.

Guttner said Mike VI had adverse reactions to visual and auditory stimuli that were part of the pre-game festivities and became resistant to getting into a trailer cage to attend the game. His final appearance in Tiger Stadium was for the LSU-McNeese game in 2015, which was canceled because of lightning. Mike VI did not attend any games in 2014.

But these practical concerns did not end the conversations for Landry's administration. Rep. Wayne McMahen, R-Minden, a veterinarian who was included in discussions about Mike, tossed around the idea of getting a second tiger in an interview earlier this month — a suggestion that may have taken hold.

"If you had a young tiger — and that's one of the things I told the governor — you know, you had a young tiger that was trained to handle those situations. But to take a middle-aged tiger that has been captive in a certain way ... I think it'd be a struggle," McMahen said at the time.

Spokespeople for Landry and LSU did not respond immediately to requests for comment.