TIGER'S OWNERS TRACKED DOWN COUPLE JAILED ON OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE CHARGES.Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer VENTURA - A Moorpark couple was arrested Wednesday and charged with obstruction of justice A criminal offense that involves interference, through words or actions, with the proper operations of a court or officers of the court. The integrity of the judicial system depends on the participants' acting honestly and without fear of reprisals. after they denied owning a 350-pound Siberian tiger The Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is a rare subspecies of tiger (P. tigris). Also known as the Amur, North China, Manchurian, Ussuri, or Korean Tiger, it is arguably the largest of the 5 extant tiger subspecies. that was killed after roaming Ventura County hillsides for nearly a month. Gert Abby Hedengran, 56, and his wife, Roena Emma Hedengran, 52, were taken into custody after experts used videotapes and photographs to determine that the big cat killed on Feb. 23 was the couple's missing tiger, Tuffy, which had a unique lightning bolt Lightning bolt may refer to
``Experts who reviewed these photos confirmed that it was the same animal because of the markings,'' said Steve Martarano, spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game. ``They are just like fingerprints on a human. ``By lying to investigators they withheld critical information that could have assisted Fish and Game wardens and trackers in capturing the tiger alive. We feel strongly there could have been a different ending had we had their help.'' The arrests marked the culmination of an investigation by state and federal officials. The couple appeared in court late Wednesday, and a judge set their bail at $25,000 each. ``This is a very serious case,'' said Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Johns. ``They knew their tiger was loose the entire time. Not only did they fail to notify authorities but they also attempted to obstruct ob·struct v. To block or close a body passage so as to hinder or interrupt a flow. ob·struc  tive adj. and hinder those authorities in their effort to locate and capture the tiger.'' Gert Hedengran was charged with making false statements, submitting false records, destruction of evidence with intent to influence a federal investigation, obstruction of justice and witness tampering  This article or section may deal primarily with the U.S. and may not present a worldwide view. . He could be sentenced to 60 years in federal prison if convicted of all charges. His wife is charged with obstruction of justice and witness tampering and faces 10 years in prison if convicted, officials said. Trackers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture shot and killed the 352-pound male tiger after a weeklong search in the hills between the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs and Camarillo. State wildlife officials became suspicious of the Hedengrans in February after the couple was ordered to remove 22 wild animals WILD ANIMALS. Animals in a state of nature; animals ferae naturae. Vide Animals; Ferae naturae. , including lions, tigers and other exotic cats from a guest house they were renting near the Reagan Presidential Library. The couple, who operate a nonprofit animal sanctuary An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and be protected for the rest of their lives. Unlike animal shelters, sanctuaries do not seek to place animals with individuals or groups, instead maintaining each animal until his or her natural death. and exhibition for exotic felines felines See animals. , were licensed to keep the animals at a facility in the hills of Temecula, but had failed to notify Fish and Game they moved to Moorpark in January. Officials believe a lynx and the Siberian tiger escaped during the move. The lynx was tranquilized and captured by state game wardens. Actress Tippi Hedren Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren (born January 19, 1930)[1] is an American actress with a career spanning six decades. She is best known for her role as Melanie Daniels in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds , who founded the Shambala big-cat sanctuary in Acton, called the case tragic. ``It should never have happened,'' she said. ``It all goes back to the fact that there are not stringent laws to stop the breeding and selling of these animals as pets ... ``The situation was made even more tragic because the Department of Fish and Game didn't do more to try to save the animal without killing it.'' Fish and Game officials said it was too dangerous in the residential Moorpark area to use a tranquilizer dart A tranquilizer dart is a dart-like projectile containing a sedative which is injected into the target as if through a needle or syringe when the dart strikes the target. Tranquilizer darts are fired from a capture gun or a crossbow at wild animals in order to sedate them for the , which might have taken 10 to 30 minutes to take effect. Also Wednesday, Assemblywoman Audra Strickland Audra Strickland is a Republican who has been a member of the 37th district of the California State Assembly since December of 2004. She succeeded her husband, Tony Strickland who was term limited. Prior to serving in the Assembly, she was a junior high school teacher. introduced legislation that would set strict reporting requirements for exotic animal owners and require the Department of Fish and Game to have a written policy and a set of procedures when capturing loose animals. ``I'm very pleased to see that the Department of Fish and Game and other law enforcement officials have been able to track down the individuals responsible for that tiger,'' said Strickland, R-Thousand Oaks. ``I hope my legislation will help in the future prevent any incidents like this from ever happening.'' Strickland's legislation also would require owners of exotic animals to report missing animals immediately to local law enforcement authorities. Staff Writer Eric Leach contributed to this report. Angie Valencia-Martinez, (805) 583-7604 angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Gert Hedengran poses with the tiger, Tuffy, before it escaped and was killed by U.S. Department of Agriculture trackers. California Department of Fish and Game |
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