Handler Says Tiger Wasn't Loose in Packard Plant, PETA Wants His License

Animal trainer Troy Hyde says Texaco, a 12-year-old Siberian tiger used in a photo shoot, never escaped. (Photo by Kevin J. Railsback via Animals of Montana)

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After a tiger briefly got away from trainers during a photo shoot Monday, the animal-welfare group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a complaint and asked the USDA to revoke the exhibitor’s license of a Montana wildlife casting agency that provides exotic animals for entertainment.

PETA alleges handlers from Bozeman-based Animals of Montana taunted and scared the tiger with a weed whacker and hedge trimmer as it cowered in stairwell in the historic Packard Plant, where the tiger was being used in a photo shoot.

“This tiger had already suffered the stress of being caged, dragged across the country, and used as a living prop when Animals of Montana decided to terrorize him with garden tools,” PETA Foundation Deputy Director Brittany Peet said in a statement. “With animals and human bystanders still at risk, PETA is calling on authorities to put a stop to this facility’s negligence and cruelty.”

Tiger “Never Off Chain”

Animals of Montana owner Troy Hyde told Patch.com it didn’t happen that way.

Social media accounts of the tiger “escape” were overblown and inaccurate. and were orchestrated by a disgruntled employee, Tony Barchock, who was “grasping for a little limelight and fit in wherever he fits in in life,” Hyde said.

“The tiger was never off the chain and was never ‘lost,’” Hyde said.

• Related: Tiger on Loose in Packard Plant Causes Uproarious Social Media Fun

Barchock reportedly called his friend, Andy Didorosi, and asked for his help getting the tiger out of the stairwell. Didorosi and Barchock both discussed the photo shoot on their social media accounts, and several people subsequently tweeted about it using the hashtag #tigerwatch2015.

Didorosi told the Detroit Free Press he responded quickly when Barchock asked him for help corralling the tiger.

“He asked me if I had a leaf blower, and I said I had a weed whacker, so he told me to bring that. ... I stopped what I was doing, grabbed my tools and hopped in my truck, because, you know, tiger. …

“I don’t know much about tiger logistics, but we were told to be this huge blue tarp monster with the weed whacker and try to be scary and make loud noises. That just made him angry. You could say he got tiger rage, so we retreated.”

British photographer David Yarrow had permission to use the plant for his photo shoot, but neglected to tell Kari Smith, project manager for the Packard Plant Project, that he planned to bring exotic animals. A bobcat and wolf were also reportedly on site as well.

“We arranged for a photography group of humans to be on site for two days,” Smith told the Free Press. “We never approved any animals being on the site …”

Hyde claimed that’s incorrect, too, and all the proper permits were obtained from the state of Michigan, city of Detroit and the state’s Department of Natural Resources.

Smith shut down the photo shoot, but PETA says Animals of Montana’s record warrants closer scrutiny.

In 2012, a 24-year-old Animals of Montana trainer was mauled to death by a captive grizzly bear in an accident the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration said was preventable. Animals of Montana was subsequently fined $9,000.

In 2005, Hyde was convicted of illegally trafficking tigers in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act, after which his USDA exhibitor’s license was suspended for two years.

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PETA and other animal-welfare groups have a long history of opposing the use of animals in entertainment, particularly when the species is endangered. On its website, PETA said entertainment animals are “forced to perform silly, confusing tricks” and are often transported across the country in cramped, uncomfortable conditions.

“Ambassadors for Their Kind”

Hyde defended the use of animals in entertainment, and said their appearance in mass media provides an important platform to discuss issues surrounding their conservation.

“I think it’s important that these guys are in these scenarios,” he told Patch. “They’re ambassadors for their kind.”

Animals of Montana has been a full-service wildlife casting agency for more than 20 years, catering to amateur and professional photographers and the motion picture industry.

Among the other species available for casting are African lion, badger, black bear, black leopard, bobcat, Canadian lynx, coyote, Cross Fox, fisher, golden retriever, gray wolf, grizzly bear, mink, mountain lion, porcupine, raccoon, red fox, Siberian lynx and skunk, according to the website.

In petitioning the USDA to revoke the company’s exhibitor’s license, PETA said it exposes its employees to life-threatening situations through the “free contact” system in which there’s no barrier between human workers and dangerous animals.

But Hyde said that’s what separates his business from competitors. Handlers work with animals daily from their infancy.

“This develops a special bond between animal and trainer, which in turn eliminates misbehaving, unruly, scared animals,” according to the Animals of Montana website. “When you need a special behavior to fit your script or photography needs, the trainers will customize training for that particular animal insuring the behaviors you need.”