Man Charged With Mistreating Tigers : Crime: Balboa resident who left two cubs in his car at Fashion Island parking lot last month faces eight counts.

A 23-year-old Balboa man who left two tiger cubs in his car at a Fashion Island parking lot last month was charged Monday with illegal possession and mistreatment of wild animals, according to the Orange County district attorney.

Eric Jarvies, who lives part of the year in Pahrump, Nev., maintained that he had the proper permits to bring the cats to California for a photo shoot. But officials said he did not follow the correct procedures for transporting the animals across state lines.

He faces two counts each of importing animals without a permit, transporting animals beyond the scope of a permit, failing to confine animals for inspection when bringing them into California and depriving the animals of necessary sustenance, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Joel Stone.

Each of the first three violations carries a penalty of $1,000 and or six months in jail; the fourth charge has a maximum fine of $20,000.

“It’s just ridiculous,” Jarvies said Monday when told of the charges.

The tiger cubs were being held in an animal shelter in Costa Mesa, where a local volunteer feeds and plays with them three times a day.

This is the third time this year in Orange County that Jarvies has been in trouble with authorities over animals. In May, authorities seized seven de-clawed African lions in his San Clemente health food store. In February, according to authorities, Jarvies’ monkey bit a woman in Newport Beach.

Jarvies said he owns more than 50 large cats that he rents out for commercials and films. He also photographs the cats for posters and his latest project, a calendar filled with bikini-clad models.

Within a few days of his July 21 arrest at Fashion Island, Jarvies presented permits to the Newport Beach police that showed the seized tigers belonged to Alex Pasternak, who owns a ranch near Jarvies’ Nevada property. Jarvies showed officials two permits for the cats that belonged to Pasternak. He also produced a letter from Pasternak stating that Jarvies had his permission to exhibit the cats, authorities said.

But Stone said Monday the permits are not transferable. Furthermore, he said, Jarvies lacked a detailed itinerary for the tigers’ trip as required by law.

Stone also said that Jarvies had mistreated the animals by leaving them uncaged in his BMW convertible while he ate at a nearby restaurant.

“Based on allegations of neglect or abuse of the animals, many parties are concerned about returning the cats to Jarvies or Pasternak,” Stone said. “I think everyone involved is doing their best to make sure the cats live out their lives as healthy and as happy as possible.”

At the Dover Shores Pet Care Center in Costa Mesa, volunteer Cheryl Rendes of Fullerton has been feeding and playing with the animals. She has worked with exotic animals for 15 years and owns a tiger.

The pair is basically in good health, surviving on a diet of horse meat and Zupreme, a special tiger food.

“They’re getting lots of attention, and the diet and medical treatment they need to get back on track,” said Rendes.

Jarvies, however, maintained that the shelter is ill-equipped to handle the cats. He estimated that he could be making $2,500 a day renting the tigers out to photographers, and said they would be difficult to retrain if they were returned to him.

“Those cats don’t deserve to be in there,” said Jarvies, who describes himself as an animal lover. “It hurts me to see them in there.”