CHARLESTOWN, Ind. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the former proprietor of a southern Indiana wildlife center and his ex-wife to pay People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals more than $700,000 in attorney’s fees stemming from its successful lawsuit alleging violations of the Endangered Species Act. The judge ruled Monday that Timothy Stark and his ex-wife, Melisa Lane, must pay PETA nearly $734,000 to cover attorney fees and expenses. Stark gained attention last year as one of the people in the Netflix true-crime series “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.” The Courier Journal of Louisville, Kentucky reports the judge ruled last August that Wildlife in Need, Stark and Lane had violated the Endangered Species Act, in part by declawing tigers, lions and hybrids.
