Urge the Mobile Zoo to Retire Joe to an Accredited Sanctuary!

In Wilmer, Alabama, at a seedy roadside attraction called The Mobile Zoo, a chimpanzee named Joe is being kept alone in a virtually barren enclosure. The zoo has been cited repeatedly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for failing to provide adequate environmental enrichment to address Joe's social and psychological needs and was even cited for allowing zoo visitors to throw peanuts at him, causing him to lash out in response. It's time that Joe gets the companionship and enrichment that he needs at a reputable sanctuary.

Chimpanzees are extremely social animals. In the wild, chimpanzees live in large groups, where dominance is established not only through brawn but also through social relationships, and strong social bonds are maintained through hours of grooming and playing with others. Without a complex social environment, chimpanzees—just like humans—suffer from loneliness, boredom, and depression. Joe spent his early years in the entertainment industry, where he was most likely stolen from his mother as an infant and forced to perform cheap tricks for the camera. When he was 10, his trainer dumped him at The Mobile Zoo, where he has languished in almost complete isolation for the last 16 years.

The Mobile Zoo has long been under the scrutiny of the USDA and racked up so many violations of the Animal Welfare Act (including denying animals adequate veterinary care, keeping animals in filthy and unsafe conditions, and failing to provide adequate enrichment for Joe and other primates) that the agency is suing the facility for its long history of violations. The suit could result in the permanent revocation of the facility’s license to exhibit animals. PETA has been tracking the chronic neglect of the animals at the zoo—including Joe—for years and recently filed its notice of intent to file an Endangered Species Act lawsuit on Joe's behalf.

The Mobile Zoo's consistent failure to meet Joe's physical, social, and psychological needs must come to an end. Speak up today and urge the zoo to release Joe to a reputable and accredited sanctuary, where he can live out his days with space to roam, companionship, and an abundance of enrichment—and where he will never have to endure strangers gawking and throwing peanuts at him again.

Please feel free to use our sample letter, but remember that using your own words is always more effective.

Dez Bryant Belongs on the Field; His Monkey Belongs in a Sanctuary.

After learning that Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver Dez Bryant recently acquired a baby monkey, PETA sent a letter to local authorities in DeSoto, Texas—where Bryant owns a home—urging them to ensure that the capuchin, now named Dallas, is transferred to an accredited sanctuary that’s equipped to meet his unique needs. As PETA pointed out in its letter, possession of monkeys is prohibited within DeSoto unless the owner has been granted a special-use permit, which private individuals like Bryant are not eligible for.

“Monkeys belong in the wild—not in the hands of football players who acquire exotic animals just to make a splash on Instagram,” says PETA Foundation Deputy Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet. “This baby capuchin was torn away from his mother shortly after birth and needs special care that can now only be provided by wildlife experts who will be able to ensure that he gets the love and attention he deserves.”

PETA has already secured space at an accredited primate sanctuary that stands ready to take in Dallas, who would be introduced to an adult female capuchin who could act as a surrogate mother figure. He would also be able to socialize and develop with members of his own species.

PETA’s letter to Carmen Humble, administrative assistant for code enforcement, follows:

Dear Ms. Humble:

I am writing on behalf of PETA to request that DeSoto Animal Control immediately investigate the possible illegal possession of an infant capuchin monkey by Dallas Cowboys football player Dez Bryant. An October 2 news report indicates that Bryant, who apparently lives in DeSoto, may have acquired an infant capuchin monkey. If he is found to be in illegal possession of this monkey, please seize the monkey and ensure that he or she is placed in a reputable sanctuary. PETA stands ready to assist with the placement of the animal.

Possession of monkeys is prohibited within DeSoto unless the owner has been granted a special use permit.¹ Bryant is not eligible for such a permit, as these permits may be granted only to the following: “public zoo, governmental entity, public or private primary or secondary schools, a retail pet distributor … animal exhibition, rodeo or circus,” which are all subject to certain conditions—and not to private individuals.² If Bryant or any other individual is found in illegal possession of this infant capuchin, please seize this animal pursuant to DeSoto Mun. Code 2.1200 (“any animal found to be in violation of [the Animal Control Code]” may be impounded).

Capuchin monkeys used as pets are typically torn away from their mothers at birth, whereas in the wild, they would naturally spend several months, if not years, by their mother’s side. Capuchin monkeys are intelligent, curious, and highly social animals who naturally live in large groups. A human home denies them mental stimulation and opportunities for social interaction with other monkeys, which can lead to boredom and depression. Monkeys are wild animals, and as such, they can become frustrated, aggressive, and difficult to control as they get older—and they can and will bite humans.

Captive monkeys should be cared for by wildlife experts who understand their physical and psychological needs and in facilities where they can live in natural social groups—they should not be in the hands of an NFL football player. This infant animal must be urgently relocated to a reputable animal sanctuary, where he or she can be provided with appropriate care. PETA stands ready to assist your investigation in any way, including with arranging for placement of the monkey at a reputable sanctuary.

Thank you for your urgent attention to this important matter.

Very truly yours,

Brittany Peet, Esq.PETA FoundationDeputy Director, Captive Animal Law Enforcement

¹“It shall be unlawful for any person to exhibit, possess or harbor a wild animal within the city without a permit.” De Soto Mun. Code 2.800(a). A “wild animal” is defined as (in pertinent part) “[a]ll species of animals which commonly exist in a natural unconfined state and are usually not domesticated. This shall apply regardless of state or duration of captivity. Such animals shall include, but are not limited to … Order Primata (such as monkeys, chimpanzees and gorillas)."

.@BobbyJindal Yo Gov! Why'd u sign a bill EXEMPTING someone from a state law that BANS Private Ownership of Big Cats?

PETA spearheaded this campaign for many years. We filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and state and parish officials, posted action alerts and wrote countless letters in an effort to get the tigers "retired" (there used to be multiple tigers in two different locations). We wrote to Michael Sandlin, the owner of the truck stop, multiple times offering to help pay the costs of moving the tigers to a legitimate sanctuary.

After years of complaints, in July 2002, the USDA charged Michael Sandlin with violating the Animal Welfare Act, including keeping the tigers in unsound facilities, lack of a veterinary care program and improper nutrition. Sandlin paid a $1,000 fine and was ordered not to possess or exhibit more than two exotic cats. As a result, Sandlin moved three of his four tigers to a facility in Tennessee, leaving one—Tony—still on display.

Fast forward to 2009. Despite aggressive campaigning over the legality of keeping a wild animal in the parish, local officials voted to allow Sandlin to keep Tony at the truck stop, which opened the door for Sandlin to qualify for a state permit from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The department granted him one and the campaign continued.

In May 2011, a Louisiana district granted the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s (ALDF) request for a permanent injunction against the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, preventing the department from renewing Sandlin’s annual permit. The ruling was later upheld under appeal when the court ruled that the permit was illegally issued in the first place. Sandlin will no longer be able to keep Tony confined at the truck stop where he has languished for over a decade. Sandlin appealed the case yet again.

In October 2013, the Louisiana Supreme Court denied Sandlin’s petition to review the Court of Appeals decision that barred him from keeping a tiger. But … Sandlin is challenging a 2006 law giving the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries jurisdiction over big and exotic cats.

In April 2014, Louisiana State Sen. Rick Ward introduced Senate Bill 250 to exempt people who hold a USDA Class C exhibitor's license, in other words, Michael Sandlin.

At that time, the bill was voted down. http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/04/tony_the_truck_stop_tiger_bato.html

As the case continued to wind its way through the system, we sent an urgent appeal to our Louisiana members to voice their objections to the Louisiana House Natural Resources Committee to reject any change in the law. Inexplicably, and outrageously, the legislature voted to create a "retroactive exemption" for Sandlin that would allow Tony to stay jammed in a gas station cage.

The Louisiana legislature should be ashamed of itself for creating a loophole to skirt its own state's animal-protection laws just so that one truck-stop owner—who has repeatedly violated federal law by failing to provide tigers with adequate veterinary care and safe and sanitary housing and by handling tigers in a way that causes them undue stress or trauma—can continue to use a caged, deprived tiger as a sad “mascot.”

We called on Governor Bobby Jindal to veto this ludicrous move, and as we have offered for years, PETA stands ready to help transport Tony to the sanctuary that is waiting to give him a real life, where he would finally have acres in which to roam and a real home.

To say that this process has been maddening is an understatement.

Animal Legal Defense Fund Files Lawsuit against Louisiana for Violating State Constitution with New Tony the Truck Stop Tiger Law

Governor Jindal’s Signature on SB 250 Draws National Controversy and Courtroom Showdown

For immediate release:

Contact:
Lisa Franzetta, ALDF
Megan Backus, ALDF

BATON ROUGE—In their ongoing battle to free Tony, a tiger living at Grosse Tete’s Tiger Truck Stop, the national nonprofit Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) and former Representative Warren Triche, Jr. filed suit against the State of Louisiana for violating the Louisiana Constitution by passing a law that exempts a single individual from existing state public safety and animal welfare laws. The sole purpose of SB 250, signed by Governor Jindal last week as “Act 697,” is to allow Tiger Truck Stop owner Michael Sandlin to keep the 14-year-old Siberian-Bengal tiger caged in a gas station parking lot––captivity that previously violated Louisiana law, which prohibits the private possession of dangerous large exotic cats. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of former Representative Warren Triche Jr., the Louisiana legislator who sponsored the 2006 big exotic cats ban, as well as other Louisiana residents and taxpayers, in the East Baton Rouge District Court. The defendants include the State of Louisiana, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), the Tiger Truck Stop, and Michael Sandlin.

According to the lawsuit, Act 697 violates the Louisiana Constitution’s prohibition on “special laws” that grant exclusive benefits to any private individual or interest. ALDF seeks an injunction against these privileges given to Sandlin, who has repeatedly sought preferential treatment while openly violating the law. Act 697 would undo several legal victories achieved by ALDF on Tony the tiger’s behalf, and retroactively remove the protections Tony received under the existing ban. Rep. Warren Triche, Jr. explains that “Tony’s situation played a principal role in passing the 2006 bill, as he was a perfect example of why such legislation was needed.” Governor Jindal recently has taken several actions that many see as anti-animal welfare, including signing a bill to declare the blood sport of fox penning part of the state heritage, and vetoing a Republican bill that would have protected dogs in pickup trucks.

In 2011, ALDF successfully sued LDWF for unlawfully issuing Sandlin a permit to exhibit Tony. ALDF was joined in the suit by former Rep. Triche, Jr. and several other Louisiana taxpayers. In April 2013, the Louisiana Court of Appeal held that Sandlin and the Tiger Truck Stop were ineligible for a big cat permit and could no longer keep Tony captive. In October 2013, the Louisiana Supreme Court let that decision stand.

“By vetoing pro-animal laws brought forth by his own party, and signing this unconstitutional law, Governor Jindal has cast a shadow over his aspirations for a national run for the White House,” said Stephen Wells, executive director for the Animal Legal Defense Fund. “The Animal Legal Defense Fund will not allow Tony’s protections to be subverted by backroom politics. Tony deserves to live in a reputable sanctuary, not a gas station parking lot.”

Cruelty Alert! 5 Horrific Roadside Zoos and Menageries for Exotic Animals in the U.S.

#WhatAreYouAfraidOf That I'll never get out of the truck stop & to a real sanctuary home :( http://aldf.org/tony  

Perhaps one of the most well-known instances of an animal being held at a pit stop isTony, the truck stop tiger, who has been living at a gas station in Louisiana for the past 12 years. Michael Sandlin, the owner of Tiger Truck Stop, has long battled animal rights groups in court over Tony’s fate. In 2003, three of Sandlin’s tigers were removed from his care due to a number of violations. Still, Tony remained at the truck stop.

Sandlin challenged a 2006 statewide ban on the private ownership of exotic cats in 2009. And in 2014, he conspired with a Louisiana lawmaker and produced an exemption to the 2006 ban (Senate Bill 250), one that frees Sandlin from the ban and allows him to keep Tony in captivity.

Sandlin’s website, SaveTony, pleas for his followers to help save Tony from the activists trying to take his tiger away from his home and for private citizens to stand up for their rights to own exotic animals.

Luckily, there are many people who see right through this shameless ploy and oppose Tony’s captivity. The Animal Legal Defense Fund continues to campaign for Tony’s freedom, click here to learn more about their work.