A truck stop is no home for a tiger

“This is posted as is from an email to me from the ALDF. Please click on any links…”

Tony, a Siberian–Bengal tiger, STILL paces on the hard concrete surface of his cage. He has spent every day and night of the last eleven years on display at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, Louisiana – nearly his whole life. It’s no life for a tiger, or any other animal.

That’s why, despite all legal obstacles, the Animal Legal Defense Fund is tireless in our fight to make sure that Tony finds his way to a reputable, accredited sanctuary where he can live out his life in a nurturing environment, rather than one that exploits him as a profitable spectacle. Help us raise $250,000 during our 2012 Annual Fund Drive and join our fight to free Tony!

ALDF is currently involved in three separate lawsuits concerning Tony—a no holds barred effort to free him from the miserable conditions he’s forced to endure day and night. ALDF’s victory last year against the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries prevented the Department from renewing the annual permit that allowed Michael Sandlin, owner of Grosse Tete’s Tiger Truck Stop, to display Tony.

However, the Department has refused to seize Tony until Mr. Sandlin’s own lawsuit against the Department has resolved. Once Mr. Sandlin’s case is over, the Department should do its duty by acting quickly to ensure Tony’s removal to a humane sanctuary.

We are optimistic that we will prevail, and the court will uphold Louisiana’s right to protect public safety and animal welfare by prohibiting private possession of majestic animals like Tony.

Your support makes our fight for Tony possible! Join ALDF in fighting for Tony’s freedom — freedom from diesel fumes, harassment, and the unimaginable suffering of life in his lonely cage.

ADI Tony the tiger news:–http://aldf.org/article.php?id=1675

 “I have long been fighting for Tony’s release to a more suitable sanctuary, because I don’t think a truck stop is the right environment for a tiger, nor any other animal. Breathing in air suffused with diesel particles for 11 years, can’t be good for the lungs of man nor beast. Tony has never had a full vet check up that we know of, if he has, I wouldn’t mind seeing the proof…so poor Tony may well be suffering in silence !”

“I personally have never suggested the move due to animal abuse; more animal welfare. Tony has lived in a barren cage for 11 years, yet it is only this past year that Mr. Sandlin made slight improvements  to the enclosure. A paint make over & hanging an old tyre are not what I would call requisite improvements. The enclosure may well be a little larger than some captive tigers are forced to live in, but what use is size if it resembles little of  the animals natural habitat, nor have any enrichment to stimulate his mind!”

I do so wish Mr Sandlin would stop referring to the horse trough filled with water, as  ‘Tony’s swimming pool, as I read in an article the other day! It has been documented via video that it has been empty of water on especially hot days. However, it doesn’t really matter, they might as well take it out, Tony has never cooled off in it, tigers of his breed love to be in water. It could be that it is too small for Tony, or he has had a bad experience with it in the past, I bet you can’t find any documented video evidence of Tony either in the horse trough or even dipping a toe in!

“Come on Mr Sandlin, if you really love Tony as you say you do, let him go. Let his last years be lived out at a sanctuary, where he can play among foliage in large grassy acres, jump into a proper pool or lake to cool off like all tigers of his breed love. A Place where he can have something to stimulate his brain, toys to play with, everything that he hasn’t got now! Can you imagine how bored stiff that tiger must be? Nothing to do for 11 years except stare to stare back at the public gazing in. Tony has paid his due’s, I’ll bet he has brought in plenty dollars through either the dinner or the Tony paraphernalia sold within.

“Please don’t send Tony to just another cage, where he is gawpt at by the public, he deserves more! I think somewhere like The Wildcat Sanctuary, would be perfect for Tony! Watch the video & see how these abused, abandoned or unwanted cats live…Tony would love it, no smell of diesel, no public shouting at him, banging on the fencing, trying to annoy him…just fresh air, good food, hospital on site,  lots of toys to play with & a decent sized pool to cool off in…Tony will never be free to roam in the wild, but this is as close as it can get!

The Wildcat Sanctuary – a natural safe haven for over 100 big cats

The Wildcat Sanctuary (TWS) is a 501c3 non-profit, no-kill big cat rescue located in Sandstone, MN. TWS provides a natural sanctuary to wild cats in need and inspires change to end the captive wildlife crisis. TWS is funded solely on private donations. The Sanctuary is a home for animals, not a zoo for people and is not open to the public. Combining natural and spacious habitats with a life free of exhibition and exploitation, TWS allows all residents to live wild at heart. As a true sanctuary, we do not buy, breed, sell or exhibit animals.

They will never know freedom, but with your help they can know compassion. Learn more at WildcatSanctuary.org.

Battle to Free Truck Stop Tiger Continues

Free Tony The Tiger

• by Alicia Graef
• April 6, 2012
• 11:44 pm

The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Lousiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) to have Tony, the 11-year-old tiger who’s been living on display at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, La., moved to a sanctuary.

The ALDF sued the LDWF and its secretary Robert Barham on Tony’s behalf last year arguing that granting Tony’s owner, Michael Sandlin, a permit in the first place violated state law. Judge R. Michael Caldwell granted the ALDF’s request for a permanent injunction against the LDWF, preventing them from renewing the annual permit that allows Sandlin to keep Tony.

Unfortunately that decision was overturned because Sandlin was not part of the lawsuit. In November Judge Caldwell ordered the LDWF to revoke Michael Sandlin’s permit to keep Tony and bar him from obtaining another permit in the future. Tony’s…

View original post 175 more words

http://freetonythetiger.wordpress.com

Tony’s change.org petition reached 12,000 signatures today as people worldwide continue to show their concern for him and support his release to a reputable sanctuary.

Please continue to share http://www.change.org/petitions/ldwf-ensure-tony-the-tiger-is-released-to-a-reputable-sanctuary and visithttp://tinyurl.com/helptonytiger for more ways you can advocate on behalf of Tony.

Thanks again to everyone for your support and dedication to Tony.

Related articles

• New Petition to Ensure Tony Is Released to a Reputable Sanctuary (preciousjules1985.wordpress.com)

Tony the Truck Stop Tiger still in legal limbo (Petition) – National animal advocacy | Examiner.com

Baton Rouge, LA:  On January 23rd, a judge denied a motion by the owner of the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, LA, Michael Sandlin, asking that Tony remain where he is while the appeals process ran its course.  Sadly however, this did not result in Tony’s release to sanctuary, as Sandlin has filed a separate lawsuit, alleging the Federal permit that had been issued superseded the one by the state, making Tony legally allowed to stay where he is.  (Source.)

The original decision by the Judge Caldwell in connection with the lawsuit filed by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ADLF) had been that the permits issued by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) to Sandlin to keep Tony at the truck stop were not legally issued, and Tony should be immediately released to sanctuary.

via Tony the Truck Stop Tiger still in legal limbo (Petition) – National animal advocacy | Examiner.com.

Willing to care for TONY

™FREE TONY THE TIGER CAMPAIGN

Cedarhill Animal Sanctuary

144 Sanctuary Loop

Caledonia, Mississippi  39740

http://www.cedrhill.org/

This place is willing to give TONY a “forever” home!

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TALK 107.3 : Baton Rouge – Tony’s owner – Hearing His Side

TALK 107.3 : Baton Rouge – Hearing His Side.

Animal Legal Defense Fund : Update 30th January 2012

Update
January 30, 2012: Last Monday, Judge Caldwell denied a motion brought by Michael Sandlin and the Tiger Truck Stop (TTS) that sought to suspend Judge Caldwell’s order while Sandlin and TTS appealed.

 In other words, Tony would have stayed put at the truck stop until after the appeal ran its course, which could take months. Instead, Judge Caldwell’s order instructing the Department to revoke the permit will go into effect right away. Sadly, this does not necessarily mean Tony is leaving the truck stop soon. Sandlin has filed his own lawsuit against the Department, which has been temporarily restrained from taking any action to remove Tony. Our attorneys are doing everything they can to resolve these conflicting orders to make sure Tony makes his way to a humane, accredited sanctuary as soon as possible.

via Animal Legal Defense Fund : Victory for Tony the Truck Stop Tiger!.

Owner operator supports Tony staying at the truck stop

‘Leave Tony alone’ — An owner-operator on the truck stop tiger

January 25, 2012 by: Todd Dills

Animal rights advocates are a vocal bunch, as I’ve found out over the course of the last several years. Write word one about Tony, the tiger at the Tiger Truck Stop in Gross Tete, La., and you can pretty much place your bets on a blizzard of commentary coming your way. Until recently, much of that commentary, including some of it from actual driver readers of the blog here, has taken the side of the advocates who prefer Tony’s removal from the stop, often suggesting a big-cat sanctuary in Florida as the preferred final home.

After a recent court ruling that held the Tiger Truck Stop’s permit for displaying the big cat was invalid, however, another group stood up and spoke out, defending the truck stop owner. Among them was owner-operator Gordon Alkire (pictured), whom you may recall for his part inOverdrive‘s 50th-anniversary coverage on the OverdriveRetro.comwebsite last year. Alkire offered up the following commentary, reposted here with his permission:

So you think that Tony the tiger is in bad health, in an unsafe environment and should be removed. This is no different than removing a child from its home because of a busybody neighbor that reads something from nothing and never even had a child. It is life-altering for the child. The same can be said of the tiger. But it can’t speak and tell you it is unhappy or stubbed its toe, so it is taken care of the best way it can be. This tiger gets regular vet visits, real food — not the ground stuff your pets eat — and enjoys the attention. It is not alone. Tony has fresh air, a space of his own, not like in a zoo or a carnival.

I have seen dogs in trucks that are mistreated or not properly cared for, their diets no better than Mickey D’s two times a day. This truck stop is not hiding this tiger, as many other people have done with their pets, mistreating them.

This tiger is an icon. It is healthy. If this is so bad a situation for the tiger, why has it taken more than 10 years for these critics to get involved?

The answer is simple. The situation is neither bad nor dangerous for Tony. This uproar strikes me as driven by the attraction of getting on some bandwagon for certain individuals, to be a part of something, no matter the pain or suffering or cost it causes for someone else. They are searching for their 15 minutes of fame at the expense of someone else. Namely, the owner of the truck stop. It is called mob mentality in some circles. The writers of some anti-Tony the tiger stories are only seeking attention, and feel the need to do anything to get it at other people’s expense.

Unfortunately, Tony happens to be the target now.

I have a suggestion for the anti-Tiger enthusiasts. Pay attention to your surroundings and go after the drivers and dog owners that mistreat their animals. How about the drivers that have 100-pound-plus dogs in a six-by-eight-foot cab and only take them out for short walks to do their business and rush them back into the cab again. That is mistreatment of animals, as a dog this size needs room to grow and stay active. Or what about the drivers who think using a stick to beat a dog to make it mind is OK? I’ve seen it happen.

Tony has been in this truck stop for more than 10 years, and only in the last two or three has this action to remove him surfaced.

Among all these non-experts, including some truckers, the biggest are those who begin to think they are experts in tiger care and truck stop management and demand Tony’s removal while knowing absolutely nothing about the situation, all the while refusing to listen to both sides of the problem.

It is time to give it a rest. Leave Tony alone.

Truck stop tiger’s home endangered after ruling

Watch the video below, it’s a bit old but it has Michael Sandlin telling everyone how fantastic Tony’s enclosure is; with a water trough to swim…SWIM IN…he cant & won’t even dip a paw in; toys to play with…LMAO What a load of bollocks!!

http://www.usatoday.com/video/truck-stop-tigers-home-endangered-after-ruling/1256757827001

I just had to post this….ha ha because of the post before this called  “Owner operator supports Tony staying at the truck stop”

This guy wants Tony to stay where he is because there is nothing wrong with it!

He says Quote “This tiger gets regular vet visits, real food — not the ground stuff your pets eat” un-quote. 

Sorry to disappoint the old guy, but the above video show’s exactly what Tony gets to eat…processed food that looks like a fat roll of  sausage meat…I would hardly call this “real food” would you??

SANDLINS FACEBOOK PAGE « ™FREE TONY THE TIGER CAMPAIGN

SANDLINS FACEBOOK PAGE « ™FREE TONY THE TIGER CAMPAIGN.