It’s certainly not every day that the authorities have to search for a missing tiger. During a raid at two homes in August 2022, police uncovered an alligator, as well as drugs, guns and money but a young tiger is still being searched for.
Authorities believe that the tiger was being illegally kept as a pet at one of the raided homes in Albuquerque, New Mexico. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish conservation officers also suggested that the tiger is with someone “in New Mexico or a nearby state.”
The animal is very young, believed to be less than a year old and weighs under 60 pounds. While this is manageable for now, tigers can grow up to 600 pounds and are a clear danger to the public once they grow to size.
Wild tigers are currently listed as an endangered species. At one point in time, alligators were also listed as endangered in the United States but have since thrived in the wild.
The alligator that was seized by authorities at one of the raided homes was almost three feet long. It was taken to a wildlife facility after state conservation officers and federal, state and local police served search warrants on August 12, 2022.
A 26-year-old man was arrested when police raided the area. Two pounds of heroin, 10.5 pounds of cocaine, 49 pounds of marijuana, 17 rifles and pistols, fentanyl and Xanax pills, and nearly $42,000 were discovered on the premises.