Just when the dust seemed settled, advocates of the proposed tiger sanctuary in Ventura County just west of Malibu have re-opened the case, filing suit to overturn the decision against the facility.
Irena Hauser, who claims years of experience working with tigers, was denied the conditional use permit (CUP) to build a tiger training and housing facility in March and then lost a June appeal. This will be her third attempt to obtain permits for the tiger sanctuary.
On July 14, Hauser filed an appeal against the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, asking for a reversal of the original decision.
“The decision of the Board must be reversed and remanded,” reads the suit, which cites “deprivation of fair hearing” and “abuse of discretion” as the basis for the appeal.
The Ventura County Superior Court will now take the case, which was filed by Casselman Law Group on behalf of Hauser.
Hauser and her sister Sophia Kryszek seek a permit to construct a 13,500-square-foot exercise arena and enclosures. Hauser and her family tout years of experience training and working with the tigers. Hauser and Kryszek own ISIS Preservation, which supplies the white tigers for filming in the entertainment industry.
The sanctuary is controversial in Malibu and southern Ventura County, where many residents fear the tigers could pose a threat to native wildlife, as well as the people and pets living nearby.