An animal rights group says a state district judge held a hearing this afternoon on its lawsuit demanding that he order the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to remove an 11-year-old tiger named Tony from a truck stop in Grosse Tete. The Animal Legal Defense Fund sued last month, saying the department has refused to confiscate the animal from Tiger Truck Stop Inc. and its owner, Michael Sandlin. It wants Judge R. Michael Caldwell to order local law enforcement agents to take that step. The group also has asked to be made a party to Sandlin’s lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s ban on private ownership of big cats. It says Judge Janice Clark has scheduled a hearing Monday on that question. Sandlin’s attorney, Jennifer Treadway Morris, tells Daily Report the court ruled in favor of her client this afternoon; saying the ALDF and two Louisiana citizens do not have standing in the case. Morris calls it a “big win,” adding Monday’s hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Hearings on truck stop tiger resume this afternoon, Monday
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