Archive for the ‘Judge R. Michael Caldwell’ Tag

Tony: Another Year At Tiger Truck Stop Leave a comment

July 2016 marks Tony’s 16th year of captivity at Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, Louisiana – 16 years exploited as a roadside attraction.

This blog for Tony began back in 2009 shortly after learning about him from Big Cat Rescue – Tampa FL. Tony’s story was shocking, unbelievable, and sad – our hope was to give it more public attention and engage organizations that could help him. Social media bolstered Tony’s saga worldwide with his blog, and presence on Twitter (two accounts @FreeTonyTiger and @TonyTiger2000,) Facebook, Youtube and Instagram.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund took on Tony’s case. The permit issued by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was found illegal and revoked in 2011 by Judge Michael Caldwell; this decision was upheld by The Louisiana Court of Appeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court. When Mr. Sandlin exhausted his appeals he enlisted Sen. Rick Ward to propose a bill (SB 250) to exempt himself from the 2006 law barring private ownership of big cats. The bill was passed by the Louisiana Legislature and signed by Gov. Bobby Jindal (Act 697.) The Animal Legal Defense Fund has been working tirelessly on Tony’s case and has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Louisiana taxpayers, challenging the state’s new special exemption.

With more privately owned tigers in the United States (est. 5,000 plus) than left in the wild (appx. 3,200) support for legislation banning private ownership is very important. The Big Cat Public Safety Act is a federal law that would end the private possession of big cats as pets, props and for their parts. Please help with the passage of this law by contacting your member of congress and asking them to champion the bill. Visit: http://bigcatrescue.org/big-cat-act/ for more information.

We remain positive for Tony and supportive of the efforts to secure his release to a big cat sanctuary. We Thank ALL of Tony’s friends for your dedicated support and ask you to please keep involved on his social media sites. If you visit Tony please share your pictures and videos with us by emailing tonythetruckstoptiger2016@gmail.com

Special Thanks: The Animal Legal Defense Fund and sanctuaries Big Cat Rescue, The Wildcat Sanctuary and The Wild Animal Sanctuary.

The Guardian: Meet Tony, the Truck Stop Mascot Dividing Louisiana Leave a comment

Free Tony The Tiger Notes:

Tony was born in July 2000 and has been at the truck stop since he was a cub. According to Mr. Sandlin he got Tony from a breeder in Texas. In 2003, three tigers: Toby and Rainbow 18 years old and 8 year old Khan were removed from the truck stop due to AWA volations which included: “unsanitary feeding practices; mishandling tigers; and failure to provide veterinary care, shelter from inclement weather, clean drinking water, and knowledgeable employees to care for the tigers.” The USDA allowed Sandlin to keep one tiger Tony who was 3 years old at the time. https://freetonythetiger.wordpress.com/tony-left-behind-in-2003/

Tony’s has brought worldwide attention to the serious issue of privately owned tigers in the U.S.. Michael Sandlin’s state permit was found illegal and revoked in 2011 by Judge Michael Caldwell; this decision was upheld by The Louisiana Appeal Court and the Louisiana Supreme Court. Though the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries had the authority to seize Tony and enforce the law and these rulings, they refused to. When Mr. Sandlin exhausted his appeals he enlisted Sen. Rick Ward to propose a bill to exempt himself from the 2006 law barring private ownership of big cats. The bill was passed by the Louisiana Legislature and signed by Gov. Bobby Jindal. The Animal Legal Defense Fund has been working tirelessly on Tony’s case and has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Louisiana taxpayers, challenging the state’s new special exemption. http://aldf.org/cases-campaigns/timelines/tony-the-tiger/

Three sanctuaries have standing offers of homes for Tony. One such sanctuary’s tiger habitats start at 8,000 sq ft or more, all natural substrate, perches, hammock, pool, toys/enrichment and access to an indoor temperature controlled building. Keepers have 4 year zoology degrees and a vet hospital on-site. Another sanctuary recently debuted a 2.5 acre habitat for their cats to “vacation in” with platforms, dens, trees, foliage, a pond and enrichment toys. A sanctuary in Colorado, whose executive director and founder has 35 years of experience in rescuing, transporting, relocating and acclimating tigers and other big cats to their new habitats without incident, can provide a natural habitat 10-20 acres in size on rolling prairie grasslands, complete with swimming ponds and seasonal lakes. They all have underground dens (that stay about 60 degrees year round), shade shelters and play structures, and all kinds of toys and enrichment. His enclosure may be 3200 sq ft, but it’s a dismal 1600 sq ft of concrete and a small “grassy area” that offers him no opportunity to run or engage in any natural behaviors. He has been subjected to the noise and smells of the truck stop and the taunting of tourists for 15 years.

Tiger, tiger, burning rubber: meet Tony, the truck stop mascot dividing Louisiana

Jack Barlow

Wednesday 4 February 2015 13.27 EST

Direct Link: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/04/tiger-tiger-burning-rubber-meet-tony-truck-stop-mascot-louisiana

Even in a part of the world famous for its love all things tiger, Grosse Tete’s Tiger Truck Stop stands out. Located 15 minutes across the Mississippi from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, it only takes a quick glance at the truck stop’s cramped central station to figure out there’s something a little different going on.

Scattered around are the usual items of roadside memorabilia: a dimly lit fried chicken stand, rows of “support our troops” necklaces, a smattering of Louisiana State University shot glasses. So far, nothing unusual to report. But right next to the truck stop, strolling around a 3,200-square-foot wire cage, is Tony the tiger.

Tony, the 550-pound Siberian Bengal tiger, is one of the most unusual gas station mascots in the United States. He’s also one of the most controversial.

The animal is the latest, and most well known, in a long line of tigers at the truck stop. The 12 years he’s spent there have seen constant accusations, lawsuits and countersuits between truck stop owner Michael Sandlin, animal rights activists and government organizations. Rarely has a roadside novelty caused so much trouble, or epitomized such a clash of cultures.

A visit to the truck stop doesn’t necessarily guarantee an audience with Tony. On the day of my visit, which was miserably rainy, Tony had retired to a little kennel tucked away on the far side of his cage. Sandlin, braving the downpour as he heads from one side of the truck stop to the other, is apologetic. “He sleeps around 18 hours a day,” he says, glancing over at Tony’s soaking cage. “He is a cat, after all.” A cat he is – except that Tony eats 15 pounds daily of horse and beef muscle meat.

The cage itself is fairly basic: a bare concrete floor crisscrossed with wire netting, with a few separate areas for Tony to wander in and out of. It’s surprisingly big, and it certainly doesn’t look as miserable as some animal activists would have you believe; on the other hand, it’s not as large as most sanctuaries, and it’s hard to see how Tony would be able to run around and build up a head of steam.

Sandlin is a big man. Tall and broad shouldered, with slicked-back grey hair and bright blue eyes, he speaks confidently in a heavy, slow southern drawl. It’s his truck stop, his tiger and, these days, his battle.

He arrived in Grosse Tete by way of Houston in 1988. He had little money but some unusual cargo: two tiger cubs, a male Bengal mix named Toby and a female Siberian called Rainbow.

The idea for a tiger-themed truck stop wasn’t originally his – it was his brother’s – but he was the one who decided to give it a go. Baton Rouge seemed an ideal location, the town already dominated by tiger imagery courtesy of its beloved Louisiana State University Tigers football team.

For a long time, Sandlin says, things went pretty smoothly. It wasn’t until Toby and Rainbow were retired at the age of 19 – whether by choice or by force isn’t totally clear – and Tony turned up that pressure from outsiders seeking to remove Tony from the truck stop increased.

“Prior to the retiring of the first two cats there wasn’t much of a problem with animal rights [activists],” he says. “In fact, if you’d asked me 10 years ago that we would be having animal rights legislation through the Louisiana legislature in a state that claims to love tigers so much – the ‘sportsman’s paradise’ – I’ve have told you you’d be crazy. And yet today we find that’s exactly what’s happened.”

While there had been sporadic attempts by animal rights organizations to relocate Sandlin’s tigers throughout the years, it wasn’t until 2006 that any rules or regulations were put in place to aid them. That year, a bill written by a then Louisiana state representative, Warren Triche, banning private ownership of big cats passed the state senate. Tony’s existence at the truck stop suddenly became precarious.

“It’s very clear that previous owners were supposed to be given the right to keep their animals,” Sandlin says. “I assume the legislation put that in to protect the property rights and personal freedoms of people that already love these animals. It would be the right thing to do, not step in and take someone’s beloved animal from them.”

The 2006 law did have a grandfather clause. Big cats legally owned before 2006 were allowed to stay with their owners, but only if a permit was granted by the Louisiana department of wildlife and fisheries on an annual basis. Permits were issued if the department felt the cats were in safe hands, and in Tony’s case they apparently did; permits were issued without much drama in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), a California-based animal rights organization, didn’t feel quite the same way. They filed suit on the grounds that Tony’s standard of care wasn’t up to scratch, and in 2011 a Louisiana district court agreed, banning the issuing of permits for Tony. Next came an acrimonious series of legal battles between Sandlin, the ALDF and Wildlife and Fisheries (the latter seemingly stuck on the middle and sued by all sides) that saw permits issued and rescinded, the threat of Tony’s forced removal growing stronger or weaker with every ruling.

Last year, the Louisiana senate again became involved. An exemption in the 2006 act, written and sponsored by Republican state senator Rick Ward, was carved out solely in order to keep Tony at the truck stop. It squeaked through the senate by a narrow 20-18 margin and was signed into law by Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal.

In keeping with the litigious history of the saga, the ALDF immediately filed a lawsuit challenging the exemption. That challenge, in turn, was thrown out in November. The organization is currently looking to have it refiled in another court. The future for Tony is looking as murky as ever.

Unsurprisingly, Sandlin and his supporters see it as an individual rights issue – the fight of a man who wants to keep his beloved animal in the face of shadowy governmental and activist groups determined to snatch it away. Those on the other side view it in very simple terms: for them, it’s a fight for Tony’s liberation.

“It’s pretty pathetic,” Matthew Liebman, the ALDF’s senior attorney overseeing the case, says. “You know, a truck stop is certainly no habitat for a tiger. Compared to the natural range of a tiger it’s minuscule, there’s little enrichment that simulates the natural environment and it’s way too close to the highway and the gas pumps. Tigers have especially sensitive hearing, so all the road noise, rattling trucks and all that, can be incredibly detrimental to the wellbeing of the tiger.

“[We’ve had] letters from people with much higher credentials than Michael Sandlin saying that [the truck stop cage] is definitely not a proper habitat even within the captive industry. The veterinary experts, the animal behaviorists we’ve talked to all agree it’s certainly not an ideal or even a very good enclosure for Tony to inhabit.”

Brittany Peet, deputy director of captive-animal law enforcement at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), is even more forthright. “Tony currently lives in a squalid tiny cage on mostly concrete breathing gas and diesel fumes all day long,” she says. “The reputable sanctuaries that are ready to assist Michael Sandlin in placing Tony the tiger have huge, naturalistic enclosures with grass and natural ponds, where there are acres of land where Tony could choose to have the company of other tigers if he likes. He could engage in other behavior, like running, which he just can’t do at the Tiger Truck Stop. The best place for Tony is not in a tiny cage in a gas station.”

Where to house Tony, if he was to be removed from the truck stop, is a major source of contention. Sandlin claims that all animals removed by the wildlife and fisheries department have died within two months of being taken away, although official figures appear to show otherwise. On the other hand, several places mooted as possible options for Tony have had their own controversies over their standard of care.

Right now, nobody’s happy. Animal rights groups are frustrated by their inability to move Tony into a sanctuary, while Sandlin is upset at what he sees as the meddling of outside groups in his business. The whole saga may end only when the tiger eventually dies.

There’s a faded photo in the truck stop of a younger, black-haired Michael Sandlin cradling a very small Tony in his arms. In it, Sandlin throws a slightly bashful smile at the camera as the tiger contently suckles on a pink bottle held firm in Sandlin’s right hand. For all the accusations of mistreatment directed against the truck stop, for all the questions about Tony’s living conditions, there’s no doubt the owner genuinely loves his animals. Sandlin doesn’t normally have much trouble holding forth about his tigers, but when asked what Tony means to him, he stops and pauses for a long time.

“Tony is probably the biggest part of what’s left of what I consider to be my life’s work,” he says, eventually. “If there are no tigers here anymore I’ll probably sell and go ahead and retire because I’m not interested in operating the truck stop without the tigers. They’ve been here from day one. He’s no longer just an attraction. I’ve loved all of my cats, and as hard as times have got over the last 27 years, they never went without food or veterinary care. It’s not about the money anymore. It’s about the principle of it, about keeping him safe, and I think we’ve accomplished that.”

There probably won’t be any more tigers after Tony goes, last year’s exemption applying solely to Tony and not the truck stop in general. In terms of economics, the tiger novelty angle hasn’t worked – Sandlin says it has cost the business over $400,000, mostly in legal fees – but that is, of course, not the point. With both the truck stop and activists vowing to keep the fight going, the strange saga of America’s roadside tiger doesn’t look to be ending anytime soon.

Tony the Tiger Timeline via @ALDF 1 comment

Tony the Tiger

Tony the Tiger is captive in a truckstop in Grosse Tete, Louisiana, where he lives among diesel fumes with a fraction of the space he would have in the wild. The following is a timeline of the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s work to free Tony.

tony-copyright-FTT-article-image-500px

June 24, 2014 – ALDF files lawsuit on behalf of Louisiana taxpayers, challenging the state’s new special exemption that allows Michael Sandlin to possess Tony.
June 18, 2014 – Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signs SB 250 into law, exempting Michael Sandlin from existing Louisiana law that prohibits the private possession of exotic cats.
October 4, 2013 – Louisiana Supreme Court declines review of the Court of Appeal’s decision, allowing ALDF’s victory to stand.
April 25, 2013 – Louisiana Court of Appeal upholds a lower court decision in ALDF’s favor, which ruled that the LDWF unlawfully issued Michael Sandlin a permit to exhibit Tony the tiger.
January 3, 2012 –Sandlin files a lawsuit against the State of Louisiana, the LDWF, and Iberville Parish, trying to overturn the state ban on private possession of dangerous and exotic cats.
November 2, 2011 – Judge Caldwell rules in ALDF’s favor that the LDWF unlawfully issued Sandlin a permit. The department is ordered by the court to revoke that permit.
April 11, 2011 – ALDF sues the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for unlawfully issuing Michael Sandlin a permit to exhibit Tony the tiger.

For a more comprehensive overview of our efforts to free Tony, check out our feature article.

Direct link: http://aldf.org/cases-campaigns/timelines/tony-the-tiger/

State’s top court is next stop for tiger case Leave a comment

BY JOE GYAN JR.
Advocate staff writer
June 12, 2013

An attorney for a Grosse Tete truck stop and its owner said Tuesday the Louisiana Supreme Court will be the next stop in the case of Tony the truck stop tiger.

“We’re going to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary,” Jennifer Treadway Morris, who represents Tiger Truck Stop and owner Michael Sandlin, said on the heels of an adverse state appellate court order.

A three-judge panel of the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal on Friday refused without comment to reconsider its April ruling that Tony, a 550-pound Siberian-Bengal tiger, cannot continue to be housed in an exhibit at Tiger Truck Stop off Interstate 10.

The panel on April 25 upheld a previous ruling by state District Judge Mike Caldwell that a 2006 Louisiana law bars the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries from renewing Sandlin’s permit to house Tony at the truck stop exhibit.

Caldwell concluded the department violated its own rules by exempting Sandlin and Tiger Truck Stop from permit requirements for owners of big cats. The judge ruled that a state permit can be issued only to an individual, not a corporation. Tiger Truck Stop was the permit holder, not Sandlin, he said.

The truck stop’s last annual state permit expired at the end of 2011.

The appellate court panel, however, overturned Caldwell’s decision to allow the nonprofit Animal Legal Defense Fund to intervene in the lawsuit on the side of four Louisiana residents who wanted Tony, now 12, sent to an accredited wildlife sanctuary.

In a related suit pending before state District Judge Janice Clark, Sandlin contends that a 1993 Iberville Parish ordinance should not be allowed to ban ownership of “wild, exotic or vicious animals for display or for exhibition.”

Sandlin, who has held a federal permit to keep tigers at the truck stop since 1988, argues a parish ordinance cannot ignore federal rules.

Tony has been at Tiger Truck Stop for more than a decade.

Sandlin also is challenging the legality of the 2006 state law that banned private ownership of large and exotic cats. The law does include a grandfather exception that allows people to keep exotic cats as pets as long as the animals were legally owned before Aug. 15, 2006, when the law went into effect.

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has said previously that Tony is the last privately owned big and exotic cat in the state. Sandlin maintains the tiger is well cared for, healthy and happy.

http://theadvocate.com/home/6223028-125/states-top-court-is-next

Article also appeared in:

http://www.katc.com/news/truck-stop-mulls-supreme-court-bid-to-keep-tiger/

http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/aafc48012f174359a104a1b980cedca6/LA–Truck-Stop-Tiger/

http://www.westport-news.com/news/science/article/Truck-stop-mulls-Supreme-Court-bid-to-keep-tiger-4596440.php

http://www.ktbs.com/story/22572952/truck-stop-mulls-supreme-court-bid-to-keep-tiger

From ALDF: Victory in ALDF’s Tony the Tiger Case! Leave a comment

Photo credit:
Animal Legal Defense Fund

Re-posting from ALDF:

Posted by Matthew Liebman, ALDF Staff Attorney on April 26th, 2013

Yesterday, April 25th, 2013, the Louisiana Court of Appeal issued its long-awaited opinion in Animal Legal Defense Fund v. State of Louisiana, holding that Michael Sandlin is ineligible for a permit to confine Tony the Tiger in a cage at the Tiger Truck Stop.

Although the court held that ALDF lacked standing to be a plaintiff in the case, it nevertheless confirmed that our clients—Louisiana residents and taxpayers—do have standing to challenge illegal actions by the government, in this case the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

In ruling on the merits, the court agreed with ALDF’s argument that Michael Sandlin cannot receive a grandfather permit to continue to keep Tony because Sandlin does not meet the legal requirements for such a permit. As the court put it:

The record establishes that on August 15, 2006, Tony was not owned by Michael Sandlin; rather, he was owned by Tiger Truck Stop. Additionally, on August 15, 2006, the ownership and possession of Tony by Tiger Truck Stop and the possession by Michael Sandlin in Iberville Parish was in violation of a local ordinance, and thus, illegal. Although that local ordinance was amended in 2009 retroactive to August 15, 2006, the amendment to the ordinance did not change the fact that on August 15, 2006, neither Tiger Truck Stop nor Michael Sandlin legally possessed or legally owned Tony. Only an individual who legally possessed an exotic cat (such as a tiger) and who could prove legal ownership of that exotic cat is entitled to a permit for that cat. Accordingly, that part of the judgment of the trial court granting a final/permanent injunction against DWF, enjoining it from issuing any new permits to Michael Sandlin and/or Tiger Truck Stop for the tiger (“Tony” microchip #477E201A4C) now located at Tiger Truck Stop in Iberville Parish is affirmed.

The decision marks a significant step towards Tony’s freedom, as the second-highest court in Louisiana has confirmed that the Department erred when it issued Sandlin a permit. Sandlin’s lawyer has said she intends to seek rehearing of the Court of Appeal’s decision, as well as review by the Louisiana Supreme Court. Sandlin also has his own lawsuit to invalidate the state’s big cat ban. But rest assured ALDF will fight every step of the way to make sure Tony ends up in a reputable sanctuary. We still have a long road ahead, but we’ve cleared a major hurdle and have earned this moment of celebration.

http://aldf.org/article.php?id=2438

One Step Closer To Freedom… Leave a comment

Update From The Animal Legal Defense Fund:

April 25, 2013: On April 25, 2013 the Louisiana Court of Appeal upheld a lower court ruling in ALDF’s case against the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for unlawfully issuing Michael Sandlin a permit to keep and exhibit Tony. The Court of Appeals agreed with Judge Caldwell, holding that Sandlin is ineligible for a permit to keep Tony. With pro bono assistance from Baker Donelson, ALDF will continue to fight on behalf of Tony and the individual plaintiffs involved.

Keep up to date with Tony’s case: http://www.aldf.org/tony

Tony’s Petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/ldwf-ensure-tony-the-tiger-is-released-to-a-reputable-sanctuary

Join Tony’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/FreeTonyTheTiger

Follow Tony On Twitter:

http://twitter.com/#!/FreeTonyTiger
http://twitter.com/#!/TonyTiger2000

Court: Grosse Tete truck stop tiger must be moved Leave a comment

By Bill Lodge
Advocate staff writer
April 26, 2013

Tony, the 550-pound Siberian-Bengal tiger, cannot continue to be housed in an exhibit at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, a three-judge panel of the state’s 1st Circuit Court of Appeal ruled Thursday in Baton Rouge.

But an attorney for truck stop owner Michael Sandlin said Tony will not be moved to a new home soon.

“We are going to file for a rehearing at the 1st Circuit. If we lose on rehearing, we’ll be filing an appeal with the Louisiana Supreme Court,” said Jennifer Treadway Morris, Sandlin’s attorney.

Members of the 1st Circuit panel were Circuit Judges J.E. “Duke” Welch and Randolph H. Parro, as well as retired Judge William F. Kline Jr., who serves on the appellate bench by special appointment of the state’s Supreme Court.

The 20-page decision written by Welch upheld a November 2011 judgment by 19th Judicial District Judge Michael Caldwell, who ruled a 2006 state law bars the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries from renewing Sandlin’s permit to house Tony at the truck stop exhibit off Interstate 10.

The appellate panel, however, overturned Caldwell’s decision to allow the nonprofit Animal Legal Defense Fund to intervene in the civil suit on the side of four Louisiana residents who wanted Tony, now 12, sent to an accredited wildlife sanctuary.

Those four residents are Warren Triche Jr., Brandi J. Sutten, Jennifer Torquati and John Kelleher.

Matthew G. Liebman, a California-based attorney for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, said he does not believe the nonprofit organization will appeal the 1st Circuit’s ruling that it should not have intervened in the litigation.

The most important part of the 1st Circuit’s decision was its agreement with Caldwell that state officials cannot renew the permit that allowed Tony to be kept at the truck stop, Liebman said.

“We see this decision as a victory,” Liebman added. “It looks like Tony is finally going to breathe some fresh air.”

Morris, however, noted that Sandlin has a related civil suit pending before 19th Judicial District Court Judge Janice Clark.

Sandlin argues in that suit that a 1993 Iberville Parish ordinance should not be allowed to ban ownership of “wild, exotic or vicious animals for display or for exhibition.”

In his suit, Sandlin adds that he has held a federal permit to keep tigers at the truck stop, just off Interstate 10, since 1988. He argues that a parish ordinance cannot ignore federal rules.

Although the case in Clark’s court remains to be decided, Morris said the 1st Circuit’s decision not to grant standing to the California nonprofit organization in Caldwell’s court is a good sign for Sandlin.

“We beat the Animal Legal Defense Fund” in the first case, Morris said. “That’s a big win.”

http://theadvocate.com/home/5811635-125/appellate-court-tiger-must-be

Appellate court to hear arguments on whether live tiger may be kept at truck stop Leave a comment

Click picture for link to video.

BATON ROUGE, La. — This week the State of Louisiana Court of Appeal will hear arguments in the case of the Tiger Truck Stop in Baton Rouge.

Owner Michael Sandlin is fighting to keep a live Bengal tiger named Tony in a cage at the truck stop.

The animal legal defense fund won a ruling against the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for unlawfully issuing Sandlin a permit to keep the tiger.

In 2011, Judge Michael Caldwell ordered wildlife and fisheries to revoke the permit.

The court will take up Sandlin’s appeal on Tuesday.

http://www.wwltv.com/news/Appeal-court-to-hear-arguments-on-live-tiger-kept-at-Tiger-Truck-Stop-case-191613871.html

From ALDF: Tony, the Truck Stop Tiger 11.29.2012 Leave a comment

The Truck Stops Here…

From the stench of fuel to the drone of diesel engines and the isolation of his roadside prison, Tony, a 12 year-old Siberian-Bengal tiger, has endured more than a decade of misery at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, Louisiana. That is why the Animal Legal Defense Fund has taken to the Louisiana courts to free Tony the Tiger from this truck stop nightmare. We won our lawsuit to prevent Tony’s “owner” Michael Sandlin from renewing his permit, but Sandlin appealed, and we are waiting for the Louisiana Court of Appeal to hear the case. Sandlin subsequently filed his own lawsuit to overturn the state’s ban on big cat ownership. ALDF sought to have the case dismissed and is waiting for the trial court to decide if the suit will move forward.

Sandlin has exploited tigers for over 20 years: buying, breeding, selling, and exhibiting tigers in poor conditions for his own profit. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cited Sandlin’s truck stop in the past for unsanitary feeding practices; mishandling tigers; and failure to provide veterinary care, shelter from inclement weather, clean drinking water, and knowledgeable employees to care for the tigers. In 2003, Sandlin’s animal welfare violations sparked public outcry, and three tigers were removed to a Tennessee sanctuary. The USDA allowed Sandlin to keep one tiger: Tony. He has been alone ever since.

Life at the truck stop is harmful to an animal with such sensitive hearing and acute sense of smell, says veterinarian Jennifer Conrad, who has cared for captive large cats for nearly two decades. After visiting Tony, she declared he is “in poor condition and needs intervention on his behalf.” In addition to exposure to noise and diesel fumes, Tony is taunted by truck stop visitors. His enclosure lacks adequate enrichment. He has no pool of water to cool off in the blazing heat of the summer. As a result of this stressful confinement, Tony constantly paces in his enclosure, putting him at risk for dangerous and painful veterinary conditions.

His suffering demonstrates the problem of privately-owned tigers, whose numbers exceed that of wild tigers. There are less than 500 Siberian and only 2,500 Bengal tigers left in the wild. In their natural habitat, tigers live alone, travel many miles to hunt, and avoid humans.

ALDF Sues to Have Tony Freed

In 2010, ALDF sued the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) for unlawfully issuing Sandlin a permit to keep and exhibit Tony. ALDF was joined by several Louisiana residents as co-plaintiffs, including Warren Triche, the state representative who authored the Louisiana state law banning private ownership of tigers. In November 2011, Judge Michael Caldwell ordered LDWF to revoke Sandlin’s permit and prohibited the agency from issuing future permits. Sandlin appealed this decision to the Louisiana Court of Appeal for the First Circuit. We have briefed the case and are awaiting an oral argument date. Once the court hears our arguments, we will await a final decision. Meanwhile, Sandlin continues to exhibit Tony without a permit.

LDWF publicly stated it intends to enforce Louisiana law when litigation has concluded—although they could seize Tony now, at their discretion. State law bars Sandlin from owning and exhibiting a tiger because he did not legally own Tony when Louisiana’s big cat ban went into effect, and because Sandlin does not live on the premises where Tony is held captive. After all, who would want to live in a truck stop? Not Sandlin… and definitely not Tony.

ALDF Intervenes to Defend Big Cat Law

After losing his permit, Sandlin filed his own lawsuit against the State of Louisiana, the LDWF, and Iberville Parish to overturn the state ban on private possession of big cats. This suit flies in the face of national sentiment, public safety, and animal welfare concerns. After the massacre of 48 exotic animals in Ohio in 2011, state and federal bills (like HR 4122) are being considered to prohibit ownership of big cats. Although ALDF was not named as a defendant in Sandlin’s suit, we successfully petitioned the court to allow us to intervene in the case to support Louisiana’s right to safeguard public safety and the welfare of animals like Tony. LDWF and ALDF each filed exceptions to Sandlin’s case, seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed, and a decision is expected soon.

Next Steps: We Wait While Tony Paces

The world waits with bated breath for the results of ALDF’s suit and of Sandlin’s appeal. Meanwhile Tony remains trapped at the truck stop. ALDF’s legal battle for Tony has drawn support from high profile advocates like Leonardo DiCaprio and True Blood’s Kristin Bauer van Straten and has galvanized activists around the world. The law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz, P.C. is providing pro bono assistance.

We are currently waiting for the Louisiana Court of Appeal to hear our case. We are also waiting for the trial court to decide if Sandlin’s suit will move forward. Tony’s fate is tied up in the courts, but ALDF is keeping the pressure on.

We will post updates on Tony’s case as they become available.

NOTE: Article courtesy of Animal Legal Defense Fund. You can leave a comment of thanks to ALDF and support for Tony at the end of this article here: http://aldf.org/article.php?id=2233 on ALDF’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalLegalDefenseFund and retweet on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aldf/status/274297585769013248

Let’s continue our positive dedicated advocacy on behalf of Tony. Thank you.