Louisiana governor Jeff Landry defends live tiger vs. Alabama: 'I'm 1-0 against PETA, so I'll take that'

Louisiana governor Jeff Landry and the LSU Tigers coordinated to bring a live tiger back into Tiger Stadium for their game against the Alabama Crimson Tide last season.

While the game didn’t go as planned, the return of the live tiger was a resounding success. With the Super Bowl taking place in New Orleans this weekend, Landry took some time to join The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, where he defended the decision, and even took a victory lap after getting one over on PETA.

"The Tiger loved being at that game..

As a child I remembered the Tiger being at the stadium and we had to bring that back" @JeffLandry #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/rPkBiNWrF4

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 7, 2025

“I said, ‘You know what? We’re going to bring that back.’ Alabama’s got — we don’t have a good record against Alabama in Tiger Stadium. I think they’re like, 22-4 against LSU in Death Valley? But I’m 1-0 against PETA. So, I’ll take that,” Landry told McAfee, regarding the choice.

Additionally, Landry had a message for anyone who didn’t agree with the decision — the tiger? He had a great time at the game, no matter what the result was: “He loved being there. … He was having such a great time,” the governor added. “We almost had to beg him to get up.”

It was certainly a sight to behold back on Nov. 9. The tiger was wheeled around the sidelines ahead of kickoff, creating an intimidating scene for the visiting Crimson Tide just moments before kickoff in the massive showdown.

It was a seminal moment for Landry and company, as it marked the first time that LSU brought a the live tiger inside the stadium since 2015. It used to be a commonplace occurrence, but that practice stopped with the latest Mike being adopted by the school in 2017.

Mike VII, the current LSU live tiger mascot, lives in a 15,000 square foot enclosure on campus, but he was not used for the showdown against Alabama. Instead, it was one brought in from a wildlife refuge, at the behest of the Louisiana governor.

Leading up to the moment, Landry was more than outspoken, pushing for LSU to re-adopt the tradition: “I think the opportunity to bring our mascot back onto the field is an unbelievable opportunity,” Landry said in September, before turning his dream into a reality.

As for Tigers head coach Brian Kelly, he decided to leave those answers to the school as well as decision-makers when asked about the situation, such as the animal’s veterinarians, to handle that discussion.

“I heard about it all on Twitter,” Kelly said, regarding the return of the live tiger for LSU in 2024. “I don’t have any comments, obviously, on that. That is something that I’ll let our university and those that are much more educated on that to come up with a statement and make decisions on that. That is something that I just don’t have enough information on.”

Throughout the entirety of the situation, the university has pushed back on grounds from PETA and other activist groups who claim it’s inhumane to the tiger to subject it to the stresses of being wheeled around the field with 100,000-plus cheering fans in attendance.

In the end, LSU was able to bring the tradition back in 2024, but the future remains to be seen for the Tigers and their beloved live mascots. Jeff Landry is 1-0, and perhaps another opportunity for victory will be waiting for him in 2025.

— On3’s Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this article.