INDIANAPOLIS — New paperwork was filed in the Indiana Attorney General’s case against Wildlife in Need Friday. The state is asking for restrictions in a temporary restraining order.
One week after a team of inspectors were given access to Wildlife in Need, the state is asking that no one, except licensed veterinarians, enter the big cat enclosures.
They also want to prevent anyone, including staff volunteers and owner Tim Stark from making physical contact with the lions, tigers and hybrid lion-tigers.
The state also asks that the big cat enclosures cannot be opened unless the animals are locked in a separate enclosure physically separating the cats.
The state argues that after the inspection on March 6, inspectors believe that practices and animal enclosures at WIN, “present threats to WIN assets and serious risks of death or serious injury for WIN employee, other staff, volunteers and the general public.”
Stark stated that his safety protocol is to use a handgun to shoot the big cats if they attack, according to the court document.
Stark said, “When you’re dealing With this shit, I go in cages With them. When you’re in there, it’s not a matter of damn ‘if,’ it’s a matter of when. I’m Willing to take that...I would much rather die doing What I love to do than doing what I hate to do,” according to an affidavit signed by one of the inspectors.
The state argues that when the cages keeping the cats are opened there is opportunity for them to escape and called the enclosures ‘inadequately secured."
The doors are described as metal wire mesh fencing attached to wooden framework in an affidavit.
“Outside a few but not all big cat enclosures is a metal pipe fence that is approximately five feet tall. The metal pipe fencing that is outside of a few enclosures has no cover that would prevent a big cat from being able to jump over it,” the affidavit explains.
The court documents say those ‘safety deficiencies’ are a liability and put the corporation at risk to loss assets and granting the temporary restraining order would preserve the assets in dispute.
“The state anticipates that additional serious deficiencies in WIN’S animal treatment, housing, and handling practices will be identified by its inspection team once that team has completed its review of information and observations obtained during the inspection,” the motion reads.
In an email, owner of Wildlife in Need, Tim Stark, told the Attorney General’s Attorney he disagrees with the allegations in the affidavit and the findings from the inspection but says he will agree to the order pending a hearing.
The State requests the Court set a hearing to grant or deny that Temporary Restraining Order within ten days and set a hearing to address modifications to the preliminary injunction.
RELATED: 'These animals are going to continue to die': Former staff expose abuse at Indiana wildlife refuge
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.