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Loading...Victory! Tiger Truck Stop’s Permit Revoked
On Wednesday, Judge Michael Caldwell of the East Baton Rouge District Court ruled in favor of a motion filed by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) to free Tony, a siberian-bengal tiger, from his concrete prison at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, LA, where he exists as an attraction for his owner Michael Sandlin.
The ruling will force the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) to revoke the permit that has allowed Sandlin to keep Tony for all these years. Not only will the current permit be revoked, but the LDWF will also be prohibited from issuing the Tiger Truck Stop any new permits to keep tigers.
Tony has lived at the Tiger Truck Stop since 2000, he’s been alone there since 2003. His plight has garnered the attention of travelers, animal lovers and celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio and Kristin Bauer who have been fighting for years to have him freed from the cage where he’s been stuck surrounded by the constant sound and smell of trucks and diesel engines.
Last May, Caldwell issued a similar ruling granting the ALDF’s request for a permanent injunction against the LDWF, preventing them from renewing Sandlin’s annual permit as of December on the grounds that it was illegal for them to issue one in the first place, but the Louisiana Court of Appeals overturned the ruling on the basis that Sandlin should have been part of the lawsuit, which led to a new trial.
“We are thrilled that the court made the right decision,” said ALDF Executive Director Stephen Wells. “We will continue to do everything we can to make sure Tony’s next home is a reputable, accredited sanctuary that can give Tony the life he deserves.”
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Truck Stop Tiger Ruling Overturned
Read more: aldf, animal welfare, endangered species, exotic animals, success story, tigers, tony, truck stop tiger
Photo credit: arnybo via flickr
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314 comments
+ add your ownOh,by the way,why did the EBRDC judge not say anything about removing Mike 6 from LSU's campus in Baton Rouge too while he's at it?
Why the Hell did an East Baton Rouge District Court judge decide to remove Tony from his place in Gross Tete and send him to a "place of sanctuary"?Oh wait,the judge hates tigers ,that's why he wants Tony to go to the "sanctuary" in another city/town/state.To me,the East Baton Rouge Judge should not make this decison,because if the city court judge,the city council and people in the city of Gross Tete along with 2,400 people even people that come from all over the world to see Tony have not said anything about his living conditions,so what makes the EBRDC judge think he can do this.He even got LDWF involved in this STUPID,rediculous situation!
Great news! This tiger will finally get the care that he needs and deserves.
Elizabeth C., have you ever been in close contact with a cat? Even tigers tend to climb and jump a big. He gets on top of his house, rolls over, and scratches his back on it. There is grass, toys, and a big pool of water. Goodness gracious, Tony has better and healthier living conditions of the truckers that come to see him!
TONY libero!
POOR TONY!
My goodness to defend someone who keeps Tony in a cage for the past 12 years boggles the mind. Why do we want to be treated with respect and compassion and yet deny the basic needs of our fellow animal brothers and sisters? My God is a God of compassion. He would never in a million years condone imprisonment of any animal for our selfish purposes.
Sounds interesting that he can scratch his back on the roof of his house, that sounds like a lot of room for him (not). What about trees to climb and grass to roll around in that's more for a tiger.
And I know a lot because I've been there and know people who have been there. It isn't some giant conspiracy. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't mean that they are frauds.
Anne, actually no, but he is a trucker and he was there last night. I haven't been there in a couple of years but when I was last there he seemed happy to me. How many of you have actually been there to check out these claims for yourselves or do you always believe what you've read on the internet? Of course, I'm just someone who's writing on the internet, so don't take my word for it, go there and see Tony, his condition, his home and then tell me how bad things are for him.
If the air isn't fit for an animal to breathe in, wouldn't our time be better spent keeping humans from breathing it? Just saying...
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