'Britain's Tiger King' banned from keeping animals after grim fridge discovery
'Britain's Tiger King' banned from keeping animals after grim fridge discovery
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A big cat sanctuary founder dubbed "Britain's Tiger King" has been slapped with an animal ban after authorities made a grim freezer discovery. Terrence Moore, 78, the founder of the Cat Survival Trust charity in Hertfordshire, had not allowed vets to visit the site for several years after claiming the animals did not get sick. He often used a homeopathic product called Traumeel to treat some of his animals, a medication used for human acute musculoskeletal injuries that is considered inappropriate for any other species.
Animal authorities later visited the site and found his population of big cats suffering from diseases, and discovered dozens of carcasses being stored in a facility freezer. He has now been banned from keeping animals after he was found to have caused unnecessary suffering by failing to seek appropriate medical care.
Moore can't keep animals for a minimum of five years after he was found guilty of four counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals by failing to seek proper and necessary veterinary care. He was convicted on animal welfare charges related to a Wildcat named Hamish, a Bengal Cat named Jasmine, a Jungle Cat named Lily and an unnamed Caracal.
He was cleared of eight counts, namely two against a Snow Leopard, and single counts against a Jaguar, an Amur Leopard, a Eurasian Lynx Kitten, a Hybrid Cat, Geese, and a Serval. The disqualification order was brought into effect on January 23 following a three-week trial at St Albans Crown Court last year.
The court heard a case was brought against him after officers executed warrants to investigate his sanctuary site. On the first warrant in July 2022, officers were accompanied by a specialist veterinary surgeon who assessed the welfare of the animals. Food preparation, storage and disposal did not appear to be carried out hygienically and, in some cases, the housing of the animals was inadequate or insecure.
