BATON ROUGE — A Bengal tiger named Omar Bradley was on its way to Baton Rouge on Thursday for an appearance at this weekend's LSU-Alabama game, according to its owner's office in Florida.

Omar Bradley is about 1.5 years old, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said. PETA opposes the tiger's appearance before 102,000 people Saturday night, saying that subjecting the animal to an extremely raucous crowd is cruel.

The tiger belongs to Mitchel Kalmanson, who wasn't available Thursday because he was on his way to Baton Rouge with the young tiger, his office assistant said.

Gov. Jeff Landry last month suggested bringing a live tiger mascot into Tiger Stadium during games, as was done during his days as a student. LSU stopped the practice nearly a decade ago after receiving a U.S. Department of Agriculture license to hold its mascot Mike VII on campus.

Bringing Mike VII into the stadium was never seriously considered because it potentially could have imperiled LSU's status with the USDA. 

The Louisiana Illuminator first reported Thursday that a tiger would be in the stadium, citing state Sen. Bill Wheat, R-Ponchatoula. 

State Surgeon General and veterinarian Ralph Abraham, the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine and the LSU public relations department did not return multiple calls throughout the day Thursday seeking details.

WBRZ had heard throughout Thursday that the tiger was named "Omar" and late in the day PETA said its records showed that Kalmanson had a tiger named Omar Bradley who was born in May 2023. An associate of Kalmanson, reached at the insurance company he owns in Maitland, Florida, said the tiger is full-sized and was traveling to Baton Rouge.

"He's big. As far as his age, I don't know. They have quite a few of them," said the assistant, who identified herself as Kay.

Kay did not know whether the tiger and Kalmanson would stop somewhere for the night before reaching Baton Rouge, nor where the tiger might stay while in Louisiana.

Maitland is near Orlando and the drive to Baton Rouge takes about 10.5 hours, though a trip with a tiger might take longer.

In a statement, PETA said that regardless of which tiger would be taken into the stadium — Mike VII or another one — the venue was inappropriate.

"It’s shameful and out of touch with today’s respect for wild species that LSU has bowed to Gov. Landry’s campaign to display a live tiger at its football games to amuse the fans," said Klayton Rutherford, the PETA Foundation's associate director of captive wildlife research. "Whether the tiger is confined to campus or shipped in from elsewhere, no reputable facility would subject a tiger to such chaos and stress."

The tiger presumably is named after Omar Bradley, the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.