GROSS TETE, La. (WVLA) – Tony, the tiger who spent 17 years living at Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, Louisiana was euthanized Monday following numerous health struggles.
The Siberian-Bengal tiger had been in a cage at the truck stop since January 2001. He suffered kidney failure and arthritis, according to the business' publicist Ted Baldwin.
Animal rights activists have long petitioned and sued to remove the tiger from his truck-stop facility. The Animal Legal Defense Fund addressed the tiger's death in a statement Monday.
"The Animal Legal Defense Fund is deeply saddened by the death of Tony, the Siberian-Bengal tiger held captive in the Tiger Truck Stop parking lot in Grosse Tete, Louisiana. For more than seven years, we litigated on many fronts to free Tony, and we are devastated that despite our best efforts, he lived and died caged at a truck stop that could never provide the life he deserved."