Another Article on Marcus Cook from 2007

Exotic-cat owner to close nonprofits, pay
Kaufman County: AG says he misrepresented himself, was unsafe
12:00 AM CST on Thursday, March 1, 2007
By JIM GETZ / The Dallas Morning News

A Kaufman County owner of exotic cats whom the Texas attorney general accused of misrepresenting himself to the public has agreed to pay a $10,000 fine to the state, shut down his nonprofit organizations dealing with exotic animals and refrain from deceptive practices in the future.

In an agreement signed Monday in state District Court in Kaufman, Marcus Cook did not admit wrongdoing. But he must shut down his nonprofit ZooCats Inc. and any others he operates within 60 days. Mr. Cook is not barred from running for-profit businesses, however, and he said his current one, Zoo Dynamics, continues to lease white lions, white tigers and cougars to zoos and theme parks.

Mr. Cook also agreed to pay $5,000 in court costs. And he must pay a $100,000 fine if a judge ever finds that he violated Monday's agreement with the state.

The agreement ends a nearly 4-year-old legal action by the attorney general's office, which in June 2003 got an emergency order shutting down Mr. Cook's traveling exhibit of lions and tigers. Mr. Cook let children pose for photographs with tiger cubs, which the attorney general called "inherently dangerous" because of their unpredictability and potential to transmit disease.

Monday's order, signed by Judge Howard Tygrett, also applies to Melissa "Misty" Coody, a Dallas police officer who is listed as an officer or director in Mr. Cook's nonprofits.

"It's good to have all that stuff put to bed," Mr. Cook said Wednesday. "This is one of those deals where it's an economic decision. We could counter-sue them, which we did, and they could come back at us, and it could keep going on and on. But that doesn't do the animals any good."

Tom Kelley, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, called Monday's permanent injunction against Mr. Cook "very stringent" and said the animal owner must never misrepresent himself to the public. The attorney general had alleged that Mr. Cook misrepresented, among other things, that he:

• Had a bachelor's degree in zoology.
• Had a connection with "Save the Tiger" funds of ExxonMobil and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
• And was an "off-duty, full-time zoo professional" with a perfect safety record.

"I think the agreed judgment is clear that he absolutely must refrain from these things in the future," Mr. Kelley said.

Mr. Cook denies making misrepresentations.

According to a 2003 report by Dallas lawyer Robert "Skip" Trimble, who was appointed a temporary receiver in the case, there were 29 exotic animals at Mr. Cook's compound, including lions, tigers, wolves, leopards and cougars. On Wednesday, Mr. Cook said he had about a dozen animals on the site, which is halfway between Terrell and Kaufman.

Mr. Cook recently appeared before Kaufman County commissioners to argue against a ban of exotic animals in the county. The county had adopted an ordinance in 2001 requiring all owners to register exotics with the county, but Mr. Cook and other owners of exotic animals didn't do so, and the county took no enforcement action.

Last June, a yard worker at Mr. Cook's facility was severely mauled by a tiger that escaped from an enclosure. The tiger did not escape the compound.