Police officers responding to reports of a shooting in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico, say they found a young Bengal tiger in a dog crate, but it’s not the same animal sought since last year.
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish officials said they took custody of the tiger and transferred it to the ABQ BioPark until an investigation is completed and a permanent home for the animal can be found.
The department sought the public’s help to find a young tiger that had been whisked away last summer from an Albuquerque-area house where police reported finding drugs, guns, cash, and a 3-foot alligator.
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“The Department of Game and Fish suspects that the tiger confiscated Tuesday is not the same tiger sought during the August 2022 search,” Field Operations Division Col. Tim Cimbal said.
Cimbal said the tiger from August is believed to be more than a year old and likely weighs 50-90 pounds by now while the tiger found this week is only a few months old and weighs 20 pounds.
Authorities served search warrants on two residences in Albuquerque’s South Valley Tuesday afternoon in response to tips that a tiger was being illegally held at one of the residences.
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Police said a man was found at a mobile home with a gunshot wound on one of his legs and may have been struck by a stray bullet.
Officers took hold of the grumpy cub and took it to a BioPark, where veterinarians deemed it in good health, Telemundo affiliate KASA-TV reported.
