Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed a bill letting Tiger Truck Stop owner keep 14 year old Tony the Tiger as a roadside attraction.

The fight isn't over, though. The animal rights group who fought against the legislation has already said that they plan on filing a challenge of the law.

Tiger Truck Stop owner, Michael Sandlin, learned Thursday evening that Jindal had put his signature on the Bill. He's obviously happy about that.

"I'm very happy, very relieved that the threat is gone that Tony gets taken," Sandlin said Friday. "It's been a long, hard battle. It's been no fun being made a villain -- called an animal abuser all (over) the Internet."

 

Animal rights groups from across the country claim that the state should remove Tony, with some saying his surroundings are just a diesel-fumed cage off of noisy Interstate 10.

Sandlin says that he genuinely cares for Tony as well as all of the other tigers that he has housed there, including 13 tiger cubs that have been born there. He also says that Tony is happy and healthy there, and transporting him to an unknown location could distress Tony or possibly threaten his life.

[The following is purely commentary]

I don't know about y'all, but I think Tony the Tiger is a hero! That 16 year old girl and her captor were spotted at this truck stop. There was enough time after police were called for them to leave, but they didn't. Why do you think that is? Because Tony was there! This gave police enough time to get there!

What are your thoughts on this whole situation?

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