Tony the Louisiana truck-stop tiger dies, age 17

NEW ORLEANS — A tiger kept at a Louisiana truck stop has died at the age of 17.

Tony, a Bengal-Siberian mix, was euthanized Monday night because he was old, ill, and had not responded to injected antibiotics, said Michael Sandlin, owner of Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, near Baton Rouge.

He said antibiotics had helped the tiger recover from kidney problems about six weeks ago, but they didn’t seem to be working this time. Since Tony wasn’t eating, oral antibiotics couldn’t help him as they had before.

Bengal tigers in zoos generally live 16 to 20 years, according to The Indian Tiger Welfare Society ’s website.

Even though Tony was old for a tiger, the decision to euthanize him was hard, Sandlin said in a telephone interview.

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