More than 7,000 people have signed a petition to stop LSU from bringing a tiger to an Alabama football game.

On Saturday, when Louisiana State University (LSU) takes on arch-rival University of Alabama in Baton Rouge, there will reportedly be a tiger, a live tiger on the sidelines, reviving a decades-old school tradition.

LSU’s mascot is a tiger. The school’s tradition dates back to the 1930s, but has not been held since 2015, following the death of former mascot Mike VI in 2016.

Last month, the governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, said he wanted to bring back the mascot, and LSU rejected the idea. Surgeon Ralph Abraham, who is also a veterinarian, helped Landry lobby the university, even setting up an unofficial committee.

The plan sparked outrage from those concerned about the animal and the chaos it could cause, as well as condemnation from the animal rights group PETA, which sent Landry a letter arguing that “tigers are naturally solitary animals that don’t fit into a loud ball.” fields.”

A young Bengal tiger named Omar Bradley is flying in from Florida to attend Saturday’s game in place of LSU’s official mascot Mike VII, according to state Sen. Bill Wheat. That is because the university said it will stop this tradition when they admit a child in 2017. (At the time, Omar’s owner Mitchell Kalmanson had several complaints filed against him about his treatment of the animals.)

PETA called the plan “stupid,” “disgraceful,” and “out of step with today’s respect for wildlife.”

“LSU effectively ended this stupid, archaic practice nearly a decade ago after realizing it was cruel to punish a big cat that is sensitive to noise, lights, and crowds at the football stadium,” said Klayton Rutherford, associate director of captive wildlife research. The PETA Foundation, in a statement. “Whether a tiger is confined to a school or sent elsewhere, no decent institution would put a tiger through that chaos and stress, and PETA and its nearly 50,000 supporters have asked Landry to leave the big cats alone — again. Now they’re calling on LSU to grow a backbone and say no.”

In addition, more than 7,000 people have signed a petition urging the governor to cancel the plan.