Police in Dallas made a startling discovery while investigating an animal cruelty case – an adult tiger living in a tiny enclosure in the backyard.
The investigation began on Friday, August 25, when police executed four search warrants in the city’s Oak Cliff neighborhood.
The search also uncovered chickens, roosters, and dogs living at the property.
The tiger and the other animals were seized by investigators and the investigation remains ongoing, Dallas Police confirmed.
Investigators from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Texas Parks And Wildlife Department are assisting with the search, along with Dallas Zoo and Animal Services. The animals are currently safe and being cared for, police confirmed.
The tiger found last week is not the first exotic cat found in the Lone Star State.
In May 2021, residents of a suburban neighborhood in Houston, Texas were shocked to find a nine-month-old tiger roaming the streets.
After nearly a week on the loose, the big cat was captured and taken to an animal shelter. The tiger’s owner, a man already out on bail for murder charges, was arrested again.
More recently, the Dallas Zoo was locked down after a clouded leopard escaped from its enclosure.
The leopard, a four-year-old cat named Nova, was eventually found back in her enclosure. However, investigators discovered that the her enclosure had been tampered with by a human.
Days later, two emperor tamarin monkeys were stolen from their enclosure at the same zoo.
The monkeys were found days later in an abandoned home in Lancaster, Texas. A 24-year-old man was eventually arrested for all of the break-ins.
The suspect was charged with six counts of animal cruelty and two counts of burglary.