Teenager Buys Bengal Tiger Cub For $300 On Streets Of Tijuana
A teenager from California who claims he purchased a Bengal tiger cub on the streets of Tijuana for US$300 was arrested as he tried to enter the United States with the tiger cub in his 2017 Chevy Camaro. Luis Eudoro Valencia was charged with attempting to smuggle a Bengal tiger into the United States after the furry cub was found lying on the floor of the passenger side of his vehicle during an inspection by Customs and Border Protection agents.
Tigers seized in Mexico
Pete Flores director of field operations for Customs and Border Protection said officers of the agency often come across unusual situations. The 18-year-old US citizen said he purchased the cub for $300 from someone who was walking a full-grown tiger on a leash in Tijuana court documents reveal. A number of Bengal tigers which are native to South Asia have been seized recently by authorities in Mexico.
Tigers on leashes
US Fish & Wildlife Service officials took custody of the cub and then handed over the cub to the San Diego Zoo. Earlier in the year, Mexican authorities seized a Bengal tiger in Tijuana after a resident reported to police that a man was walking a full-grown tiger on a dog leash through the neighbourhood. According to officials involved in the seizure, the tiger had been living in a private residence with children.
Mexico prohibits ownership of exotic pets
In another incident later in the year, officials in Mexico seized a nine-month old Bengal tiger again in Tijuana after the cub fell from a terrace on the third floor on to the patio of a neighbour. The tiger apparently survived the fall and was in good health. Circuses in Mexico have been trying to get rid of their exotic animals following the enactment of a law in 2015 which prohibits their display. Drug lords in the country have also been known to keep big cats as pets.
