BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A bid to let a Grosse Tete truck stop owner keep a tiger onsite has squeaked through the Louisiana Senate on its second try.
Senators voted 20-18 Tuesday for the measure by Port Allen Sen. Rick Ward, a Republican who argued the tiger lives comfortably.
Ward’s bill would exempt Michael Sandlin, an owner of a truck stop in Ward’s district, from state restrictions on owning exotic cats. Sandlin, who owns a 550-pound Bengal tiger named Tony, lost his license to keep Tony and a lawsuit to get the tiger back.
New Orleans Sen. J.P. Morrell, a Democrat, opposed the measure, saying it was improper to change a law to overrule a court decision.
The bill moves to the House for consideration.
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Senate Bill 250 can be found at www.legis.la.gov .
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