Tuesday, August 30, 2011
More trouble for Tony the Tiger
Posted by Alex Woodward on Tue, Aug 30, 2011 at 10:20 AM
Back in May, the Animal Defense Fund slapped a big ol' lawsuit against the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to remove Tony the Tiger from an I-10 truckstop roadside attraction.
Judge Michael Caldwell denied truck stop owner Michael Sandlin’s request for a new trial. His ruling denied state agencies from issuing new permits to keep the big cat, a 550-pound Bengal-Siberian. But now, the state’s 1st Circuit Court of Appeal sent the file back to Caldwell, saying the owner deserves another hearing.
Does he? Read more about Tony and Sandlin in Gambit — about violations at the truck stop, like "failure to properly clean cages to maintain adequate sanitation, failure to maintain structurally sound cages, not utilizing a sufficient number of adequately trained employees, improper food storage, failure to provide sufficient food, unsanitary feeding practices, failure to have a veterinary care program, mishandling animals, failure to clean water receptacles with algae growth and failure to provide shelter from inclement weather." Sandlin has been named a Top 10 offender by PETA, and violator of the USDA'S Animal Welfare Act. Here's the April ALDF campaign video for Tony, with True Blood's Kristin Bauer:
Following the appeal, Sandlin's attorney Steve LeBlanc told the Adovcate, "We’re very pleased. This will give us a chance to correct the situation." In a statement following the ruling, ALDF attorney Matthew Liebman called it “a minor setback" and is "confident that the trial court got the law right the first time around and will rule the same way when we go through it again."
On the Tiger Truck Stop website, a petition reads: "Is Tony in need of being rescued? No, he is in good health, has a nice compound, and is very loved by his owner. ... The rights we all have as Americans are being torn away from us daily by the Animal Rights Groups. What does an organization on the west coast really care about a tiger in Louisiana anyway, other than to make headlines and put another notch in their gun?"
Speaking of Tony The Tiger, tiger Truck Stop
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Despite court order, Tony the tiger still at truck stop
The Animal Legal Defense Fund demands the state take action.
- Apr 6, 2012
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Judge rules Tony the Tiger can't stay at truck stop
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- Nov 2, 2011
Comments (7)
Showing 1-7 of 7
I am so sick of reading about the violations Sandlin has committed and how he keeps getting away with it. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is a complete joke.
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Seriously, if you are in Louisiana, why not go and SEE for YOURSELF that Tony is fine, he is loved, he has a HUGE enclosure, and the lies being posted here are so untrue. Do not be "followers" actually do research before you start believing everything you read. I did, I went and seen Tony myself, actually going back to see him again and was VERY impressed with his enclosure.
I cannot for the life of me figure you people out, if someone puts something in writing your willing to follow because ??? Please explain.
And if you have that much faith in your leader, that you take whatever they post as truth...that is just sad, you must have pathetic lives and I pity you.
Tigers are not gimmicks, attractions, props or pets. They are magnificent cats who deserve our respect and protection. Tony represents one of the estimated 5,000 – 10,000 tigers privately owned in the United States whose numbers exceed tigers left in the wild. These captive U.S. tigers suffer in backyards as "pets," in roadside zoos attractions and circuses, and are bred for profit; tiger cubs are exploited in photo ops and exhibitions, and others are condemned to canned hunts and sold on the black market.
There is absolutely no conservation value in privately breeding tigers. Sadly there are individuals who will go to any extent at the expense of these animals to capitalize on their appeal for one reason: money. The only sanctioned tiger breeding program in the United States is the Species Survival Plan in which AZA accredited zoos participate.
It’s very unfortunate that Tony’s owner, Mr. Sandlin, continues to prolong Tony’s imprisonment at the truck stop when accredited big cat sanctuaries can provide Tony with a natural spacious habitat of earth, grass, trees, logs, a den, a suitable pool, proper diet, medical care and enrichment. Tony’s supporters are sincerely thankful for the tremendous dedication of the Animal Legal Defense Fund and their persistent efforts to help Tony receive the care and life he deserves at such a sanctuary.
Judge Caldwell has heard the case before and nothing can change the fact that Mr. Sandlin never legally owned Tony per a 1993 Iberville Parish Ordinance and therefore should have never been grandfathered in under Louisiana Act 715 which prohibits the ownership and sale of large exotic cats, including tigers, in Louisiana nor given a permit to keep Tony from The Louisiana Department of Wildlife sand Fisheries.
With the life span of properly cared for captive tigers 15 to 20 years, it is imperative for Tony, who has been subjected to the detrimental environment of a truck stop and inadequate care for over a decade, to be relocated to a proper home immediately.
Yes, there is conservation value in privately owned tigers and Sandlin has always been legal.
I agree with misscatluvr! Do you people not realize if you take Tony away from the only family and friends he knows YOU WILL KILL HIM!!!! Mr. Sandlin is doing a great job with Tony!! He has a bigger enclosure,a pool,toys to play with,a freezer FULL of food,air conditioning and a heater in there for pete's sake!!!! There are people living in this world who have NO a/c,heat,or food should they be removed from their homes and given to certain people(the ones who want tony) for exploitation and to live in a SMALL cage and not to be fed or loved properly?? Think about that one for a moment! Bottom line keep Tony HOME!!!! Instead of fighting to remove Tony from his home why not fight to get him a partner?
Tony is my tiger. If I ever decide to relocate him, it will be where I say. The decision is mine alone. Tony will not be going anywhere.
The "violations" everybody keeps harping on are all old hat. They were all write-ups from USDA and corrected. Just about any owner, sanctuary, or zoo gets those from time to time, as the USDA inspectors can be pretty strict. But unlike the activists, they give you a clean "bill of health" next visit if those problems are fixed. The place these activists would like to see Tony sent to doesn't bother to fix their problems. If a cage it cited as rusty, they paint over it with iron oxide primer, thinking that hides the rust. And they are currently under investigation themselves. So is that a better place for Tony? Really? Does a $50,000 bribe make it so?
