![]() It was a lucrative not-for-profit business - reporting over $1 million in revenue in 2017 and over $1.2 million in 2016, even though Stark claims he took in no income. In 1999, Stark founded Wildlife in Need at his Charlestown home on isolated Jack Teeple Road, and over two-plus decades, Stark and his volunteers handled hundreds of exotic animals, showing them off for the price of a $25 or more admission to the public. The substantiated claims revealed through the various court cases include abuse of and threats against government officials, shoddy record-keeping, falsified documents and inadequate care for animals that were sick and dying.Īs he suffered setback after setback in court and had his animals taken away by state and federal officials, Stark denied wrongdoing and claimed he was the victim, telling a Courier Journal reporter last year he was "willing to die" to protect his wildlife and business - "my family" and "my livelihood." More: Wildlife In Need owner Tim Stark's time on the run ends with arrest in New York ![]() Stark, featured on the Netflix hit "Tiger King," was also sued by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which alleged ongoing violations of the Endangered Species Act. Department of Agriculture revoked the center's Animal Welfare Act license and ordered it to pay $340,000 in fines, including $40,000 that Stark must pay after losing an appeal of that federal decision. Then-Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill's office had sued Stark and his Charlestown attraction in February 2020, alleging animal abuse and neglect and seeking to have all animals on the property off Jack Teeple Road moved to sanctuaries. Wildlife in Need and Tim Stark's battle against the state of Indiana may be over, as a judge on Tuesday permanently banned the founder of the Clark County roadside zoo from acquiring, exhibiting and owning any exotic and native animals and ordered Stark to return funds he misappropriated from his business for his personal use.Ī corporate receiver will handle the Wildlife in Need assets, and the Indianapolis Zoo will continue to care for all of the animals that were taken last year from Stark's facility in Charlestown, Marion Superior Court Judge David Dreyer ruled Tuesday.ĭreyer's ruling is final, with the judge also denying numerous motions from Stark over the past few months that sought to have the court reconsider. Watch Video: Tim Stark: Wildlife in Need 'whistleblowers' are disgruntled losers
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