[FEL-L] RE: FL - Wildlife Group Founder Jailed Over Tiger Cage

[Bigcats10 at aol.com]

Published Thursday, September 7, 2006
Wildlife Group Founder Jailed Over Tiger Cage

By  _Gabrielle  Finley_ 
(javascript:NewWindow(376,130,'/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=gabfin&category=STAFF');) 
The Ledger

DAVENPORT -- Wildlife caretaker Darryl  Atkinson is in hot water with the law 
-- again.

On Tuesday, the  50-year-old founder of the Horseshoe Creek Wildlife 
Foundation was arrested on  charges of keeping a Bengal tiger in a cage that is too 
small, said a Florida  Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrest report.

Atkinson also  was charged with keeping the tiger in an unsafe cage, the 
report  said.

Since 2003, Atkinson has been cited more than 20 times for not  having large 
enough cages for animals kept on the animal farm west of  Davenport.

He was cited an additional four times in December 2005 on the  same charges, 
the wildlife commission said.

The citations usually result  in a fine, but Atkinson faces 11 first-degree 
misdemeanors because of the  numerous previous charges he has racked up over 
the years.

He could face  a year in jail and a $1,000 fine for each charge.

Atkinson is scheduled  for a pretrial hearing Friday, said Chip Thullbery, 
spokesman for the State  Attorney's Office in Bartow.

Last year, supporters of the foundation  donated $5,000 for bigger and better 
cages, according to a December 2005 Ledger  article.

A fundraiser also was held in January to support the  organization.

Kody Atkinson, Darryl Atkinson's nephew and vice president  of the 
foundation, said Wednesday the money was used to get better cages and  build new tiger 
yards, where the animals have space to run.

For 23 years,  his uncle has supervised the foundation, which cares for about 
80 mostly injured  exotic and domestic animals on five acres of land, Kody 
Atkinson  said.

The foundation cares for lions, tigers, bears, leopards and even a  retired 
circus pony.

Tuesday's arrest stems from charges that the Bengal  tiger was kept in a cage 
that was too small and that the structure of the cage  was unsafe, two sides 
of which were made from 111/2 gauge wire, which was not  strong enough.

Under Florida law, the tiger's cage should have been  larger and made of 
stronger 91/2 gauge wire, wrote Lt. Steve Delacure in the  commission's arrest 
report.

But Kody Atkinson said the Bengal tiger has a  broken leg, so it wouldn't 
have been much of a danger to anyone.

"Having  a broken leg would've made it pretty hard for the tiger to get 
away," Kody  Atkinson said.

Darryl Atkinson remained in the Polk County Jail on  Wednesday on $1,000 bail.

Gabrielle Finley can be reached at _gabrielle.finley at theledger.com_ 
(mailto:gabrielle.finley at theledger.com)   or 863-802-7590.

DAVENPORT -- Wildlife caretaker Darryl Atkinson is in  hot water with the law 
-- again.

On Tuesday, the 50-year-old founder of  the Horseshoe Creek Wildlife Foundat
ion was arrested on charges of keeping a  Bengal tiger in a cage that is too 
small, said a Florida Fish and Wildlife  Conservation Commission arrest report.

Atkinson also was charged with  keeping the tiger in an unsafe cage, the 
report said.

Since 2003,  Atkinson has been cited more than 20 times for not having large 
enough cages for  animals kept on the animal farm west of Davenport.

He was cited an  additional four times in December 2005 on the same charges, 
the wildlife  commission said.

The citations usually result in a fine, but Atkinson  faces 11 first-degree 
misdemeanors because of the numerous previous charges he  has racked up over 
the years.

He could face a year in jail and a $1,000  fine for each charge.

Atkinson is scheduled for a pretrial hearing  Friday, said Chip Thullbery, 
spokesman for the State Attorney's Office in  Bartow.

Last year, supporters of the foundation donated $5,000 for bigger  and better 
cages, according to a December 2005 Ledger article.

A  fundraiser also was held in January to support the organization.

Kody  Atkinson, Darryl Atkinson's nephew and vice president of the 
foundation, said  Wednesday the money was used to get better cages and build new tiger 
yards,  where the animals have space to run.

For 23 years, his uncle has  supervised the foundation, which cares for about 
80 mostly injured exotic and  domestic animals on five acres of land, Kody 
Atkinson said.

The  foundation cares for lions, tigers, bears, leopards and even a retired 
circus  pony.

Tuesday's arrest stems from charges that the Bengal tiger was kept  in a cage 
that was too small and that the structure of the cage was unsafe, two  sides 
of which were made from 111/2 gauge wire, which was not strong  enough.

Under Florida law, the tiger's cage should have been larger and  made of 
stronger 91/2 gauge wire, wrote Lt. Steve Delacure in the commission's  arrest 
report.

But Kody Atkinson said the Bengal tiger has a broken leg,  so it wouldn't 
have been much of a danger to anyone.

"Having a broken leg  would've made it pretty hard for the tiger to get 
away," Kody Atkinson  said.

Darryl Atkinson remained in the Polk County Jail on Wednesday on  $1,000 bail.

Gabrielle Finley can be reached at _gabrielle.finley at theledger.com_ 
(mailto:gabrielle.finley at theledger.com)   or 863-802-7590

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