The man, known only as Rinat V. under Polish privacy laws, has pleaded not guilty, PAP reported. Animal cruelty is a crime punishable by up to three years in jail in Poland.
The animals were being carried in a truck which had been stuck on the Polish-Belarusian border for several days after the driver was found to be lacking proper travel documents.
One of the animals died at the border on Tuesday after Belarusian authorities refused to let the truck enter their country, quoting missing paperwork.
On Wednesday, the nine remaining tigers were given temporary refuge by a zoo in Poznań, western Poland.
The tigers, reported to be exhausted and in poor condition, will be nursed back to health and then sent to an animal shelter in Spain, according to reports.
(jh)
Source: PAP