ROAR For Tony & Captive Big Cats on World Animal Day!
Please join us as we raise awareness and support for Tony, a 13 year old tiger used as a roadside attraction at a truck stop in Louisiana, USA.
The case of Tony the Truck Stop Tiger continues to be fought out in the courts; most recently, on October 4th, the Louisiana Supreme Court denied a petition to review the decision of the Court of Appeal in the national nonprofit Animal Legal Defense Fund’s (ALDF) ongoing case to protect Tony, the Siberian-Bengal tiger confined at Grosse Tete, Louisiana’s Tiger Truck Stop by Michael Sandlin. See this update from ALDF: http://aldf.org/press-room/press-releases/louisiana-supreme-court-allows-victory-for-tiger-to-stand/
Tony’s petition, asking the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to ensure Tony is released to a reputable sanctuary has 31,000+ signatures.
Sign here: http://www.change.org/petitions/ldwf-ensure-tony-the-tiger-is-released-to-a-reputable-sanctuary
This petition is particularly important because Tony’s owner has stated he would send Tony to G.W. Exotics, a notorious roadside zoo in Oklahoma that is under investigation for the deaths of 23 tiger cubs* and just had an incident* where a worker was injured by a tiger.
*Zoo worker attacked by tiger in OK
http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/Zoo-worker-attacked-by-tiger-in-OK/dWwlhtpYrE-5-O2RDUaLeg.cspx
*HSUS Undercover Investigation Reveals Dead Tigers, Safety Threats at Oklahoma’s GW Exotic Animal Park
http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2012/05/ok_exotics_investigation.html:
Keep Tony’s Story Networked ~ Share, Tweet, Follow!!
Join Tony on Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/FreeTonyTheTiger
Free Tony The Tiger On WordPress: http://freetonythetiger.wordpress.com/
Tony’s Story: http://freetonythetiger.wordpress.com/tonys-story/
Follow Tony On Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/FreeTonyTiger
http://twitter.com/#!/TonyTiger2000
Tony on Instagram: http://instagram.com/tonythetruckstoptiger/#
Tony on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/tonytiger2000/
Tony On Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/FreeTonyTheTiger
The Animal Legal Defense Fund has worked tirelessly on behalf of Tony and we truly appreciate their dedication and commitment to Tony’s case. Share their posts for Tony (below) and research their website to learn about all the important issues they are working on and animals they are helping. Check out ALDF’s Cases & Campaigns page for news, petitions, action alerts and more. Sign ALDF’s Animal Bill of Rights here: http://animalbillofrights.org
ALDF Page For Tony: http://www.aldf.org/tony
ALDF Articles:
http://aldf.org/press-room/press-releases/louisiana-supreme-court-allows-victory-for-tiger-to-stand/
http://aldf.org/blog/making-sense-of-the-current-status-of-the-tony-the-tiger-cases/
http://aldf.org/blog/victory-in-aldfs-tony-the-tiger-case/
Captive U.S. Tigers
Tony is just one of the estimated 5,000 or more privately owned tigers in the United States and his plight has definitely raised awareness to this serious issue. Captive U.S. tigers are used in roadside zoos and attractions, photo ops and exhibitions, entertainment shows and circuses, pseudo-sanctuaries, bred for profit or are owned as “pets.” Please continue to support Tony and take action for captive U.S. tigers: Take Action at the following links courtesy of Big Cat Rescue of Tampa FL:
The Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act has been reintroduced as HR 1998 in the House and S 1381 in the Senate. This bill would prohibit the private possession and breeding of captive big cats in the United States except at highly-qualified facilities like accredited zoos where they can be properly cared for and safely managed. It would only allow breeding at accredited zoos, along with some research or educational institutions.
Please ask your representatives to sign on as a co-sponsor this bill! (Take Action button on bottom of page)
https://www.votervoice.net/BCR/Campaigns/30111/Respond
Ask USDA to Ban Cub Handling
https://www.votervoice.net/BCR/Campaigns/33158/Respond
Wild Tigers
Tigers are magnificent majestic big cats who deserve our utmost respect, protection and advocacy. Sadly there are only an estimated 3,200 of Tony’s “cousins” remaining in the wild, a decline of 95% since the turn of the century. Poaching, human-tiger conflict, loss of habitat and prey are the main threats to tigers. Learn more about wild tigers and how we can help support efforts to save them:
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/tigers/index.html
Please share our event link:
http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/event/roar-for-tony-captive-big-cats-on-world-animal-day/