Police in Conroe, Texas apprehended an unusual suspect Thursday: a young, female tiger on a leash.
“Today the Conroe Police Department received a report of a tiger wandering the area of Coral Cove Pass near Longmire and League Line,” the service posted on its Facebook page. “Animal control officers were able to locate and capture the animal.”
Now, police are looking for the owner.
The public is asked to call 936-522-3200 with any information about this exotic pet.
And by late Friday afternoon, an update from police:
“The police department would like to thank the concerned citizens of our community, and actually from far away communities, for their help and concern regarding the tiger found yesterday. We have located the owner and are currently working together to find the safest and best solution for permanency for the tiger. Thank you again for your concern!”
Animal lovers and activists remain outraged that an endangered species was being kept as a pet.
“Another day, another captive tiger emergency,” the Animal League Defense Fund posted on Facebook. “The mere fact that there are one—let alone multiple—of these sorts of stories should signal that we have a serious captive exotic pet crisis in this country.”
“Help stop this sort of big cat abandonment by asking your member of congress to champion the BigCatAct.com,” Florida-based Big Cat Rescue posted on Facebook.
The proposal aims to end backyard breeding and possession of big cats in the United States.
