Traversing Interstate 10 through the state of Louisiana, one will not be able to help coming across the “Tiger Truck Stop” at exit 139, where a travesty of justice and blatant animal abuse continues to occur. Tony the Tiger has spent every day, seven days a week, pacing and caged, since he was born a decade ago, as truck stop “onlookers” ogle him from the other side of his concrete prison. Tony’s predecessor, Selina, a white Bengal tiger who no longer must endure Tony’s dismal torture, is now stuffed, residing above the salad bar of the Tiger Truck Stop Restaurant.
Tony’s truck stop owners, the Sandlin family, have sadly been granted new permits to continue keeping him caged and abused, even though previous laws existed against “housing” such an animal, prior to the court cases against them. The state of Louisiana seems to have little issue “bending their own rules” to satisfy the Sandlins, a family that lost the right to keep such animals in the state of Texas in the late 1980’s. Even whilst violations existed in regard to the conditions where the tigers are kept, Tony still sits in his cell, wasting away, underdeveloped as a tiger and utilized as a roadside tourist attraction.
Many have worked frantically to organize several efforts against the re-permitting of Tony as a possession of the Sandlin family for their roadside attraction and their continued abuse of tigers through ownership in general. Over and again, even with the help of large anti-abuse organizations at their side and the support of over 10,000 people, the Sandalins seem to come out on top whilst Tony wastes away. Please click on the WILDTIMEONLINE Logo to listen to Thomas Janak interview Sky Williamson, who is one of the many who have been fighting for Tony’s freedom.
The effort to release Tony has obviously hit legal walls. Corruption exists that is bound by blatant uncaring for this majestic being. Tony does not belong in a concrete cell that degrades his health each and every day. Veterinary doctors who have viewed Tony up close have already warned those who care in regard to his fate to prepare for the worst. Please join in the endeavor to draw more public opinion against allowing the Sandalin family to own any more tigers in the future. Even if we must all watch Tony suffer and rot away in his prison, perhaps we can make his sacrifice mean something. Stand with those against the wanton abuse that the Sandalin family has committed against tigers by using them as a “sideshow” attraction.
No tiger should have to live the way Tony does. Let us, together, try to find a way of putting an end to this travesty. Even if we can not save Tony, maybe we CAN stop this from happening to another tiger and the exit 139 truck stop in Louisiana will be a “tiger truck stop” no more.
The AELLA Team
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I have just posted this on the fb page for Louisana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. This is the first post about Tony and I would welcome your comments on this discussion … please go along to the page and add your posts…
I am curious to know why the owner of Tony is able to get a licence year after year and is able to house a tiger in a cage as a freakshow. Surely a gas station does not need to provide an “attraction” to bring customers in. I would have thought that people must fill up their trucks and other vehicles with gas anyway and would stop for some food at the same time, does there really need to be a wild animal on show as well? Keeping an animal in this environment is not good for his health and after 10 years of being on show doesnt Tony now deserve to be retired to a big cat sanctuary? Does Tony’s owner have some kind of hold on the powers that be which allows him to get a licence every time the old one runs out?
Get justice for Tony the Tiger !!
I live in Louisiana and had almost forgotten about this absolute CRIME! Many Louisianaians are into hunting, fishing and rodeo (typical white trash) and could probably care less about poor Tony. Jindal ought to be ashamed of himself for allowing this. I am going to call his office and/or write to him about this.
Please everyone fight for Tony to be free. Everyone join his page and share with all your friends. People all over the world are disgusted at what has been allowed here. This will not be ignored. Louisiana and your laws are corrupt and a disgrace.
Karen- thank you and you got it .“UNTIL HIS LAST BREATH” Tony deserves so much better then he has ever known.
FROM A LOUISIANA RESIDENT
On Friday October 29, 2010, I met with J. Mitchell Ourso, the Iberville Parish President, to discuss the insurance violation of the Iberville Parish ordinance that was written in 2009 to legitimize Tony. I pointed out that the $500K liability insurance requirement had been violated since the inception of his Parish Permit (not the state WL&F permit which only requires $100K). Although the ordinance states that if any of the conditions are not met then “the tiger shall be immediately removed from Iberville parish”, Mr. Ourso gave Mr. Sandlin until 8:00 am on November the 15th to comply or lose Tony. On Friday, November 5, the Iberville parish council received Mr. Sandlin’s updated $500K liability policy. I have obtained a copy of this new policy.
Thank you, Sky for providing such a compilation of resources for Tony.
Thank you, AELLA, for your attention to Tony’s plight.
Readers, please join us in this fight for Tony’s freedom using the references above provided by Sky. Tony deserves to be free of his prison,
help rescue this magnificent creature so that he might live his last days in peace and the optimum of health. “UNTIL HIS LAST BREATH,”
Thank you for helping us Tell Tony’s Story. This coming July will mark 11 years that Tony has had to endure this life of Neglect, Abuse and Cruelty… Before Tony, I had so much faith in People and organizations such as Depts. of Wildlife and Fisheries and Humane Societies, because I truly believed the Purpose for these Organizations were for the Voiceless Ones on this Planet. I truly believed that when Voiceless Creatures, needed a Voice You Members of these Organizations would jump in and help. I was allways the type of Person that tried to see the Good in Everyone. I do not consider myself the type of Activist that goes through life shooting my mouth off just for the sake of being heard, or making a Point just for the sake of. I am “Active” in something I believe in, and I “Believe that Animals should not be Mistreated”. Plain and Simple. I have been following Tony the Tiger for about a year now. The more I read about Tony the worse I felt. The more I read about Michael Sandlin and his history of mistreating Tigers in the past and how he today still treats Tony, the Stronger my dislike for him grew. The more I heard and read about The Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries, the less I believed in such Organizations (Particularly this one in Louisiana). It is one thing for you people to try and prove a point to the rest of your Country and to All Activists in General, by Renewing the Permit to keep Tony….but it is a WHOLE DIFFERENT BALL GAME, that by doing this you have forgotten the most Important Reason for Any of this, and that is A TIGER. Throughout this Whole fight, especially this past year when Fighters for Tony have grown to massive numbers, you the LOUISIANA DEPT. OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES have Misunderstood, you have Missed the Whole Point , you have Failed to see one Thing. One Important Thing, and that is Tony. You did not take the time out of all of this and Really Look at Tony. I could go on and on and list the Violations Sandlin has made, I could go on and on and list the cruelty that Tony has been through. Why should I ? You allready know, what you did wrong, and you allready know what you let Sandlin get away with.
Have you tho…..Really looked At Tony? I mean Really? In the past year, since I have been looking at him, he is failing right before my eyes. His weight is dropping at a rate that is Obvious with each new picture. Please click on this link at look at these three pictures of Tony~note the time frame and drastic change in Tony’s body:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=143908795671567&id=138737836188663&aid=29036
LOUISIANA AND YOUR DEPT. OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES?! Enough is enough. You have Proven your point, you have showed the World that you can do what you wish…but now this is turning into Something Very serious other then a POWERSTRUGGLE OF WHO IS MORE POWERFUL. This is a Tiger’s Life we all are speaking about here. YOU KNEW when you Renewed this Permit to Sandlin that TONY HAD NOT RECEIVED A PHYSICAL EXAMINATION. You know that he has never had one….
This has gone past the point of NEGLECT. This is at the Point now where you are letting AN ENDANGERED TIGER DIE ON DISPLAY IN YOUR STATE FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TO WATCH….This goes beyond INHUMANE. If any of you members of your Organizations of Humane Societies or wildlife and Fisheries read this…then you better think long and hard of what you are doing here. This is A TERRIBLE ACT OF CRUELTY AND INHUMANE BEHAVIOR if this Tiger is as Sick as was Stated, and if he is Suffering…..and if you are letting him…….
Thank You Anthony for writing about Tony. He sits just waiting to be rescued.
I ask that if you read this you please join us on facebook at Freedom For Tony The Tiger…
Here are other places you can follow Tony’s Journey:
FREEDOM~For Tony the Tiger
{Please Join and Follow Tony’s Blogs for Contact Info. and Updates}
http://on.fb.me/fem05t
WE WILL FIGHT EVEN HARDER NOW THAT YOU ARE WEAK
http://untilhislastbreath.blogspot.com/
TIGERS DON’T BELONG AT TRUCK STOPS
http://tigersdontbelongattruckstops.blogspot.com/
TIGER TRUCK STOP
http://tigertruckstop.blogspot.com/
SAVE TONY THE TIGER
http://freetonythetiger.blogspot.com/
OUR CIRCLE OF COMPASSION
http://circleofcompassion.blogspot.com/
Truck Stop Boycott
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Truck-Stop-Boycott/124526357607493
Freiheit für Tiger Tony
http://truckstopboycott.blogspot.com/
Free Tony the Tiger UK Group
http://on.fb.me/eVAQBQ
Born to Be Wild: Tiger Persecution and Advocacy
http://www.carnivoreconservation.org/files/thesis/malcom_2005_msc.pdf
Tony The Truck Stop Tiger Playlist
http://bit.ly/ggzdMI
My wall is full of Tony information. For those of you that do not know if you scroll all the way down to the bottom right under the last post on the left hand side you will see ❤ Older post ❤ if you click on that you can go back as far as you would like to get information about Tony the tiger at Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete Louisiana.
http://www.facebook.com/SWTigers
FREE Tony the truckstop tiger!
★ ☆ Sky Williamson /Wild Time Radio /Tony The Tiger /Animal Rights ☆ ★
http://bit.ly/gGo0wj
FREEDOM~For Tony the Tiger
★Please REMEMBER to Attach the Photos of him★
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=324568&id=509497027&l=9d5410b123
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=333652&id=509497027&l=b467eb124d
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/TruckStopTiger
Boycott TIGER TRUCK STOP {PETITION}
★´*。.☆™FREE TONY THE TIGER CAMPAIGN~’Will Remain Open Until His Last Breath’ ★´*。.☆
http://www.change.org/petitions/boycott_tiger_truck_stop#?opt_new=f&opt_fb=t
this is so evil, and for LA to allow such abuse… the tiger needs to be freed to a sancuary, and its owners need to get a job…. instead of using and abusing animals for an income
Sorry I meant to say thank you for telling Tonys story first.
All the people involved with this crime are totally apathetic to Tony.It seems they have no conscious. We that love Tony will keep up the fight for his justice.