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Owner of LSU's tiger substitute details trip to Baton Rouge with WBRZ
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BATON ROUGE – The owner of a Florida wildlife company said Sunday that a young tiger who served as a surrogate for LSU mascot Mike VII ahead of a key football matchup was never stressed during an appearance before 103,000 screaming fans.
Mitchel Kalmanson said in an interview with WBRZ that Omar Bradley, an 18-month old Bengal tiger, had grown accustomed to Tiger Stadium during trips to the arena Thursday and Friday. Stadium crews attempted to simulate what Tiger Stadium can be like on a Saturday night.
“We did it with lights off, we did it with lights on. We did it with music. They were really accommodating. Controlling their lights and their music,” Kalmanson said. “We said bring it on. Blare it.”
Gov. Jeff Landry this year floated the idea of again bringing a tiger into Tiger Stadium – a practice abandoned nearly a decade ago as the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave LSU a permit to hold a live tiger mascot on campus. With the university unable or unwilling to supply Mike VII for stadium duty, Landry turned to Kalmanson’s firm.
Kalmanson wouldn’t say who paid him for Omar Bradley’s appearance, including whether it was with state or private money. He said that supplying liability insurance is something he typically provides when showcasing tigers or other exotic animals. The same goes for handling permits, though he wouldn’t say whether he registered with any Louisiana agency.
Omar, the Mike VII substitute, made his entrance about 18 minutes before game time. The tiger paced under intense lights after the drapes were pulled from around a portable cage pulled by a pickup truck into the southwestern corner of the arena.
“The animal was not sedated. The animal was habituated. The animal did not have its ears pinned,” Kalmanson said. A team of 15 to 20 people were available in case of trouble.
“They had capture equipment if needed in an emergency - just playing the what-if game,” he said.
By the time fireworks were set off in the pregame show as the Tigers team ran onto the field, Omar Bradley was likely at least two miles away.
“At kickoff, we weren’t remotely nearby,” he said.
Landry’s plan drew a number of protesters, including some who signed online petitions and others who carried signs outside of Tiger Stadium. Kalmanson said he wasn’t bothered by the controversy, which also included criticism from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
“You’re going to get naysayers for everything we do in life,” he said.
PETA said Saturday it had filed a complaint about Omar Bradley’s appearance with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and asked LSU to ignore the “bizarre mandate” placed on it by Landry to allow a tiger into the stadium.
Kalmanson said he staked out the logistics three weeks ago, when LSU hosted Ole Miss.
He was satisfied Omar Bradley could handle the crowd because he adjusts well to different situations, particularly if Kalmanson's wife is nearby. She could be seen inside the cage with the tiger in video shot by WBRZ from a concourse as he was shrouded near Gate 1.
The Tiger Stadium crowd was by far Omar’s largest. Typically, his crowds range from 100 to 1,000 people and include those at birthday parties or conventions.
“With other people he gets upset because he doesn’t know them. If somebody hangs out with him for two to three hours and he sees that they’re not going to hurt them, he couldn't care less,” he said.
He wouldn’t say whether Omar Bradley or another tiger would appear before games against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, but didn’t rule it out.
After the Louisiana Illuminator reported on-the-record with a state lawmaker that a tiger would appear at the stadium, WBRZ confirmed through Kalmanson's office that he would supply the tiger. Kalmanson said Sunday the person who had talked with WBRZ about Omar Bradley's trip to Baton Rouge had been fired despite being an associate for more than 20 years.
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