Cumberland, Dec. 30 -- On December 26, following a six-day bench trial that took place in November, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a ruling in PETA's Endangered Species Act (ESA) lawsuit against Tri-State Zoological Park of Western Maryland, Inc. ("Tri-State")-and the three federally protected big cats who are currently being held there will now be headed to an accredited sanctuary. The court also prohibited Tri-State from owning or possessing endangered or threatened species in the future. The judge described conditions for ESA-protected animals at the facility as "fetid and dystopic."
PETA's lawsuit, which also included Tri-State's owner and operator Robert Candy and Animal Park, Care & Rescue, Inc., alleged ...