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| Tiger |
Tony lives in a horrible condition in a concrete cage where he is harassed by visitors and surrounded by lights, the smell of fuel and the sound of diesel engines 24 hours a day seven days a week with nowhere to escape and nothing to do. He's been there since 2003.
Tony was discovered by chance by Sky Williamson at the truck stop in 2005 and since than activists have been fighting for years to no avail to have him freed and sent to a wildlife preserve. Organizations such as Big Cat Rescue has repeatedly offered to take Tony but did get approval.
Tony’s conditions have been brought to the attention of authorities by thousands of people. However, despite state laws preventing private ownership of exotic animals, officials did nothing to rescue the tiger. Instead, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) bent the rules in favor of Michael Sandlin. LDWF recently renewed Sandlin's permit to keep Tony because he has owned Tony (tiger) before the laws were enacted in 2006. Which means Tony got stuck at the truck stop were he had been confined since 2003
In April of 2011, the Animal Legal Defense Fund's (ALDF) intervened on behalf of Tony and filed a lawsuit against the LDWF arguing that granting Sandlin a permit in the first place violated state law.
On Friday, May 6, District Judge R. Michael Caldwell of the East Baton Rouge District Court granted the Animal Legal Defense Fund's (ALDF) request for a permanent injunction against the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), preventing them from renewing the annual permit that allows Michael Sandlin to keep Tony as of this December 14.
With newly granted freedom, Tony the truck stop tiger is free to walk. The ALDF plans to work with the LDWF to find the best sanctuary where Tony can live out the rest of his days in a suitable environment.
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