What better day than July 29th ~ International Tiger Day ~ to commemorate Tony’s 21st birthday. While the exact date of Tony’s birth is unknown, a sign at the truck stop stated he was born in July 2000. Tony touched the hearts of people all over the world who overwhelmingly supported his release to an accredited big cat sanctuary. Wonderful sanctuaries had a standing offer of a home for him, and Tony’s legal warriors, The Animal Legal Defense Fund, were relentless in their efforts for his release. Sadly, Tony never got to a sanctuary home, he languished for 17 years at Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, LA. and died in 2017. I will never forget the times I visited him. It was truly heartbreaking to see him, but I still was in awe at being in the presence of such a magnificent big cat. On each visit I told him we’d never give up ~ and we never did. I’m just so sorry Tony never got to a clean, spacious, compassionate sanctuary home. Tony was truly the “poster-tiger” for captive tigers and big cats. His story was known globally and raised tremendous awareness about the captive tiger | big cat issue in the United States. Tony will always be the Ambassador for Captive Tigers and will always have a special place in our hearts. Happy Birthday “ T “ ~ We Miss You. Run Free Tony #FreeTonyTiger #TonyAlways
International Tiger Day, or Global Tiger Day, was created at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010 and is celebrated on July 29th to raise world awareness for wild tigers and support for their conservation. Learn more about wild tigers and the efforts to protect and conserve these majestic big cats at:
An estimated 3,900 tigers remain in the wild, up from the previous estimate of as few as 3,200 in 2010. In the United States there are more than 5,000 privately owned tigers. Tiger cubs are exploited for photo ops and cub petting/holding. Tigers languish in deplorable roadside zoos; our Tony the Tiger spent 17 years as a roadside attraction at a truck stop.
We honor and remember Tony and his wild tiger “cousins” on International Tiger Day and give a ROAR to the wonderful sanctuaries and organizations who supported his release:
Three years ago, on October 16, 2017, we lost our beloved Tony the Tiger. Not a day goes by where Tony is not on my mind; he has left his massive paw prints on my heart and on the hearts of his friends around the world. For 17 years Tony was confined to a “life” as a roadside attraction at Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete. Louisiana, and because of Tony and his tragic story, people learned about the serious issue of privately owned tigers and big cats in the United States.
For many years Tony had tremendous support for his release to a reputable big cat sanctuary. The legal battle for Tony’s release was led by our very good friends The Animal Legal Defense Fundwho fought tirelessly for Tony. Sadly every court win in Tony’s favor for his release was met by his owner’s appeals and the case dragged on for years. I would like to once again thank The Animal Legal Defense Fund who never gave up on Tony, and who continue to advocate for captive tigers and wild animals. Learn more about ALDF’s work for captive wild animals at : https://aldf.org/focus-area/captive-animals/
One of the best ways we can honor Tony is to support The Big Cat Public Safety Act. This federal bill addresses two of the biggest sources of abuse of big cats by ending owning big cats as pets and stopping exploitative roadside zoos from offering cub petting and photo ops. Read more about this bill and ask your Congress Members for their support at : https://aldf.org/article/add-your-voice-support-the-big-cat-public-safety-act/
In Tony’s memory, all of his social media accounts remain open to network information on ways we can help animals. We hope you will continue to support them.
To ALL of Tony’s amazing friends : THANK YOU! Because of you and your support Tony will never ever be forgotten.
” T ” : I miss you handsome tiger. You are in my thoughts every day and in my heart always.
For ” T ” Always ~ #FreeTonyTiger #TonyAlways 🌈 🐯 🌈
CLICK TO SEE FACEBOOK POST BY TIGERS OF AMERICA ABOUT TONY’S PHOTO
I am truly honored to have this photo of Tony chosen as one of the winners in Tigers in America’s Photo Contest. I’ve always loved this photo (be it sad) because it truly captures such despondence in Tony’s eyes and soul. Tony was born in 2000, obtained as a cub and spent all of his 17 years caged at Tiger Truck Stop.Tony raised tremendous awareness to the plight of captive tigers in the United States; he had friends and supporters from all over the world who advocated for his release to a reputable big cat sanctuary, wonderful sanctuaries who offered him a home and his legal champions, Animal Legal Defense Fund who never stopped fighting for his release. Tony truly was, and always will be, “The Captive Tiger Ambassador.” Visiting Tony at the truck stop was bittersweet, but when I would leave, I always told him we’d never give up and we’d never stop roaring. In his honor and remembrance, all of Tony’s social media accounts remain active to help network actions to help captive tigers and big cats. Thank you all for remembering this very special tiger. RUN FREE ” T ” | #FreeTonyTiger#TonyAlways (Free Tony The Tiger ~ D.M. De Santis) 🌈🐯🌈
New Orleans, LA – After multiple lawsuits filed and fought by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Tiger Truck Stop has finally stopped exhibiting animals and tore down its cages. The animals who had recently lived at the gas station have been removed, and the chain-link cages have been demolished.
The Tiger Truck Stop, the infamous gas station in Gross Tete, Louisiana, held Tony — an endangered Siberian-Bengal tiger — from the age of 6-months until his death at the age of 17 in 2017. The center of significant controversy, the truck stop’s owner, Michael Sandlin, used his political clout to circumvent one law after another — including the Louisiana big cat ban which passed unanimously in 2006. A lawsuit filed by the Animal Legal Defense Fund stripped the Tiger Truck Stop of its improper permit from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries — a decision that was affirmed on appeal.
In his zeal to continue to exhibit tigers at the gas station, Sandlin sued Louisiana over the constitutionality of the state’s big cat ban. The lawsuit, which the Animal Legal Defense Fund successfully intervened in to assist in protecting the ban, remains pending for now.
“The Animal Legal Defense Fund is pleased that no additional animals will be exploited at the Tiger Truck Stop,” says Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells. “Though we were not able to rescue Tony in time, we have continued to fight in his memory for other captive animals who suffer at roadside zoos across the country.”
After Tony died, Sandlin acquired other animals, including a camel, a red kangaroo, and coatis — which have been relocated.
In 2019, the Animal Legal Defense Fund won a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its policy of “rubberstamping” exhibitor license renewals of roadside zoos, even when they violated the Animal Welfare Act. In 2020, the USDA released new rules stating that facilities would need to prove they are in compliance with federal, state, and local laws for renewal — another tool that will help prevent similar situations in the future and part of the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s continuing strategy to shut down roadside zoos.
A federal bill, the Big Cat Public Safety Act, has been introduced with wide support in the U.S. House of Representatives, and would eliminate private big cat ownership nationwide. The Animal Legal Defense Fund, along with a coalition of animal protection groups, supports the bill’s passage.
Did anyone watch ALDF’s webinar “Tiger King : Questions Answered”? I did and thought it was very informative and covered the issues of captive tigers with great depth ~Thank you Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Alicia Prygoski. I have not watched Tiger King, I think it would just be too upsetting because I will always associate Joe Ex with Michael Sandlin; when we were fighting for Tony’s release to a reputable big cat sanctuary, Sandlin said he was contemplating sending Tony to Joe’s hell hole. This webinar really focused on captive tigers and big cats, laws in place to protect them and pending bills (i.e. Big Cat Public Safety Act) to end private ownership and breeding. It addressed how cubs are bred for profit and exploitation. The possession, breeding and exploiting of tigers and big cats is such a horrid, cruel “industry.” Tony’s case was included in the webinar and some of my photos of Tony were in the presentation; I was honored, and honestly it brought tears to my eyes to see him. I know we all loved Tony and we tried to do whatever we could to help him and support ALDF’s dedicated efforts to free him to an accredited sanctuary. If you missed the webinar, a link to the recording is coming soon! You can check at: https://aldf.org/article/webinars/tiger-king-questions-answered/and it will also be posted on Free Tony The Tiger. Photo accompanying this post is courtesy of Animal Legal Defense Fund, of course that is our Tony on the right. #FreeTonyTiger #TonyAlways 🐯
🐯 Sharing this post from our very good friends Animal Legal Defense Fund. Join Alicia Prygoski, Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Legislative Affairs Manager, on Tuesday March 31, 2020 (12pm PST | 3pmEST) to discuss big cat captivity laws and answer your questions about the docuseries “Tiger King” See this link to sign up and register: https://aldf.org/article/webinars/tiger-king-questions-answered/
Two years ago, on October 16, 2017, we lost a tiger who touched the hearts of people all over the world. While Tony’s story is tragic, confined for all of his life as a roadside attraction at a truck stop in Louisiana, he brought tremendous attention to the serious issue of captive tigers and big cats in the United States.
Unfortunately ALDF victories in court that ruled the permit to keep Tony illegal were met by his owner’s appeals and Tony’s case dragged on for years.
I will never forget the times I visited Tony; I was overwhelmed to be in his presence, but saddened and disturbed that here was this magnificent tiger imprisoned at a truck stop…each time I told him to stay strong and that we’d never give up on him.
I feel that one of the best ways we can honor Tony is to continue to be a voice for captive wild animals.
To learn more about ALDF’s work to help captive wild animals:
Support The Big Cat Public Safety Act : This federal bill addresses two of the biggest sources of abuse of big cats by ending owning big cats as pets and stopping exploitative roadside zoos from offering cub petting and photo ops. Read more about this bill and ask your Congress Members for their support at : https://bigcatrescue.org/big-cat-act/
In Tony’s memory, all of his social media accounts remain open to network information on ways we can help animals. We hope you will continue to support them.
Thanks to all of Tony’s amazing friends for your dedication throughout the years. You are all truly appreciated.
” T ” : you are in my thoughts every day and in my heart always.
In honor and memory of Tony, United States residents are asked to support The Big Cat Public Safety Act. You can read more about this bill and ask your Congress members to support it at: https://bigcatrescue.org/big-cat-act/
We miss and love Tony and think of him every day, and we are forever grateful for the wonderful support and love from Tony’s friends throughout the years.
In early 2017, after learning that Tony the tiger’s health was failing, we requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspect Tony under the Animal Welfare Act. We then submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the inspection report and asked for expedited processing — required under FOIA when delay in providing records “could reasonably be expected to pose an imminent threat to the life or physical safety of an individual.”
The USDA denied our request because the agency considers only humans to be “individuals.” We filed a lawsuit against the USDA, challenging its narrow interpretation of “individual,” arguing that the term includes nonhuman animals whose life or physical safety is at risk.
Though Tony is gone, our fight on his behalf continues. Today the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in our lawsuit.
Watch oral arguments in ALDF”S “Tony the Tiger: The Individual” case before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit fro June 12, 2019:
Animal Legal Defense Fund Director of Litigation Matthew Liebman
NOTE FROM FTTT:
Thank you Matthew and ALDF for continuing to advocate on behalf of Tony and for animals like him.
Tony touched the hearts of so many people all over the world and he will never be forgotten.
I will always be grateful to you and everyone at ALDF for your commitment to Tony and his release to a sanctuary.
I miss Tony and think of him every day. #FreeTonyTiger
Free Tony The Tiger 