Here is the truth. Tony is not hit by diesel fuel 24 hours a day. Tony has never been touched by any kind of fuel or liquid other than water. His exhibit is hundreds of feet from any gas or diesel pump. Look at the large grassy enclosure he has! This is his home - four time the size approved of.

Tony lives in a habitat specially built for him. The truth is that Tony's habitat is four times the size recommended for such an animal. The exhibit is dry unless it has just been given its daily cleaning or it has rained.

Tony has privacy day and night if he wants. Tony can go into his air conditioned house and be away from people at any time. He is never locked out.

Tony not hit by lights 24 hours a day. There are no spotlights on Tony, and he can get in the dark any time day or night inside his exhibit. Here he is at full daylight, resting in the dark.

Fumes are not choking Tony the tiger
Tony has fresh air on all sides, and diesel trucks and cars park away from the exhibit. Trucks portrayed in the activist's film are parked two city blocks from the exhibit. Trucks are not allowed to park next to the exhibit. Tigers in city zoos and exhibits have worse air quality than Tony.

Tony is not suffering when temperatures reach 100 degrees. He has an air conditioned, darkened enclosure.

But tigers naturally live in temperature ranges that can vary from minus 22 degrees to plus 122 degrees.

Grosse Tete has never had a temperature above 103 degrees Fahrenheit. 19 degrees less than their natural extreme. The coldest has been 9 degrees. Well above their lowest natural range of Minus 22!

He also has a large pool of clean water to play in.

Tony has natural habitat The truth is Tony has a large grass playground with a pool and toys. He also has an air conditioned house with privacy and a covered top to escape the rains. He is a solitary animal. He has claws and they cannot be removed at this age. He will kill any other animals he's penned with, unless they too have claws. Most captive tigers are declawed.

Tony is well loved Tony was hand raised by Michael Sandlin from the age of eight months. There are many pictures of him as a cub frolicking about the truck stop and at home playing with Michael.

Tony is not neglected Tony has a top veterinarian caring for him at all times. Tony has the best medicines and foods, and his handlers work with him every day.

Tony is not sick. some activists tried to poison Tony, to make him sick and to try to get him away from Michael. They were not successful.

Tony does not pace all day long on concrete. Tony can walk or play in a large grassy field in his exhibit. Or he can play in his pool.

Tony is not stressed. Tony does not like animal activists that bang on the cage and flash cameras in his face. Michael and the truck stop crew have observed this several times, while they activists film Tony. Now he hates anyone with a camera tripod and growls violently at them.

Tony is normally a calm peaceful animal that likes to sit on the top of his house and watch people. There are many he knows, and regular customers can get Tony to give them an affectionate rub on the bars.

Tony is not going to die soon. Cats in captivity live longer than animals in the wild, and Tony is healthier than any animal in the wild.

Tony does not have atrophied legs. Tony's legs are fine, but a photo taken from just the right angle makes it look like he is ill. He is not. He is not sick, and veterinarians in other states should not say so for the few dollars they are being given to make judgements about Tony based on old photos.

Tony can escape from noise. The truth is the truck stop is very quiet at night, much quieter than the 100 decibel noise level recorded in jungle habitats. Jungles are very noisy places. Truckers do not drive at night - they sleep. After ten P.M. the truck stop slows down to a crawl.

Tony is not an advertising gimmick.

Tony is loved by Michael, and all of the people at the truck stop. He is a draw to the truck stop, just as the three tigers in the small pen at the nearby zoo are a draw to the zoo. Just like the 100 cats at a big rescue preserve are the draw for their proposed nature tour and lodgings. abused tigers do not reproduce, but more live tigers have been born and raised at the tiger truck stop than almost any other facility in the united states. The truth is that while there may be some animals that are being abused in captivity - Tony the tiger is not one of them. He is well cared for, happy, and loved.

He knows his home and the people that care for him. He is not stressed, not sick, not hurt, not doused in fuel or fumes. The sick people attempting to destroy Tony have no regard for the best interests of the animal. In fact, a major Hollywood star came to the tiger truck stop in January, fully intending to talk Michael Sandlin out of keeping the tiger. He wanted Michael to let him rescue the cat. After seeing Tony for himself and seeing how he is cared for - and seeing the corresponding care at other facilities, he realized that taking Tony anywhere else would be worse for Tony in every regard. When so called activists found out that Michael considered sending Tony to an animal preserve in texas, the owner suddenly did an about face and refused to even see Michael. In their shady dealings, various animal welfare agencies trying to "save Tony" did not want to lose the money Tony the tiger brings in for them by having him leave the truck stop too soon. No matter. You are donating to them to save a tiger that does not need saving. Here at the tiger truck stop he has personal one-on-one attention, and no antagonism from other cats. Male tigers are solitary animals like lions, and do better without constant forced company of other cats.

If you want to help Tony, make your donations to the tiger truck stop instead, and help Michael improve his exhibit. The activists have tried suing to get the tiger - and claim libelously that Michael is breaking the law, or doing dirty behind the scenes deals with lawmakers.

Michael is following the law exactly, and has the best interests of the cat at heart. Lying about Michael will not set the tiger free.





In short, if he is taken away, not only will he never see the people he knows and loves, he will be forced into isolation, truly alone, and having to fight for medical care with a hundred other cats, instead of personal one-on one attention. This will cause the tiger to go into a depression which will certainly kill him.

When you see Tony responding affectionately to his owner, chuffing and rubbing up against the bars like a kitten, you see a fully healthy and aware animal at peace with his environment and handlers.