By Bill Galluccio
May 16, 2021
A week-long search for a missing tiger has come to an end. The nine-month-old tiger named India was last seen on Sunday (May 9), roaming a Houston neighborhood.
An off-duty Waller County sheriff s deputy who lives in the area learned about the tiger after a neighbor posted photos and video on Nextdoor, a neighborhood-based social media app. He arrived and pointed a gun at the tiger as he waited for other officers to arrive.
During the standoff,
Victor Hugo Cuevas, 26, loaded the big cat into his SUV and drove away. Cuevas, who is out on bond for a 2017 murder case, was arrested on Monday and on suspicion of felony evading arrest. While officials claimed he was India s owner, Cuevas denied owning the tiger and did not say where the animal was.
HOUSTON: A Bengal tiger last seen a week ago roaming the lawns of suburban Houston and terrifying locals has been found unharmed and was moved Sunday to an animal sanctuary, police said.
Police in Houston find missing tiger after week-long search
17 May, 2021 12:23 AM
5 minutes to read
Video shows tiger in front yard of Houston neighborhood. Video / Twitter
AP
A tiger that frightened residents after it was last seen briefly wandering around a Houston neighborhood has been found after a nearly week-long search and appears to be unharmed, police said.
In a short video tweeted by Houston police Saturday night, Commander Ron Borza can be seen sitting next to the tiger, petting the animal and saying it has been a long week searching for it. But we got him, and he s healthy, Borza said as the wife of the man police allege is the animal s owner sat next to him and fed the tiger with a baby bottle.
After the Texas missing tiger saga, owning a big cat as a house pet might become illegal in the US
Tales of Bengal tigers on the loose, like the one found roaming a Houston front yard last week, may soon be history if a bipartisan bill becomes law.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act would largely ban people from owning lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, cougars and jaguars as house pets.
Zoos and sanctuaries would be exempt, as would people who already own big cats as long as they register their animals promptly.
“Additionally, the bill would prohibit public petting, playing with, feeding, and photo ops with cubs,” the Animal Welfare Institute said in an April statement.
India the tiger safely transferred to North Texas animal sanctuary KTRK
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The missing tiger named India that was safely turned over to Houston authorities on Saturday was transferred from BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions in Houston to the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in North Texas Sunday morning, according to authorities.
The tiger received a medical evaluation overnight after it was handed over by suspected owner Victor Cuevas wife, Gia, on Houston s westside, HPD said.
Staff from Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch arrived in Houston Sunday to load India into a trailer to be taken to the ranch with a few other tigers.