PETA Sues Federal Government for Exporting Tigers

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is pressing charges against the US Fish and Wildlife Service for granting the Hawthorn Corporation legal sanction to export endangered tigers to Canada to perform in circuses. The lawsuit was filed on the grounds that Hawthorn violated the Endangered Species Act, which forbids the exportation of endangered animals, with exception that it is done for the explicit purpose of bolstering the species’ welfare. The Hawthorn Corporation, which leases animals to various facilities and countries throughout the world, has already accrued $272,500 in Animal Welfare Act violations for failing to supply tigers with proper health and living conditions.