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Court Fight in Palm Beach County Over 2 Tigers, Leopard Belonging to Former Tarzan Actor
The cats were seized in February by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Monday, Sep 24, 2012 | Updated 8:24 AM EDT
Tom Ervin/Getty Images
Steve Sipek gives a bowl of milk to his pet lion July 14, 2004 in Loxahatchee, Florida.
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A court fight is under way in Palm Beach County over two tigers and a leopard that belong to a former Tarzan actor.
The cats were seized in February by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The agency says Steve Sipek was keeping Class 1 animals without a USDA permit. Since then, Sipek and Melanie Boynes, who lives on the Loxahatchee property with him, set up a non-profit called Tarzan's Big Cat Sanctuary.
The wildlife agency recently refused the sanctuary's request for a permit to own big cats, citing inadequate care, poor food and lax security.
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Boynes has gone to court in hopes of reclaiming the animals seized Feb. 27, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
An attorney for Boynes and Sipek told the newspaper the charges are false.
A telephone message left at the sanctuary by NBC 6 wasn't immediately returned Monday morning.
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Copyright Associated Press / NBC 6 South Florida
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