Tiger named 'India' remains missing in US state of Texas
May 15, 2021
By Reena Bhardwaj
Houston (Texas) [US], May 15 : A Bengal tiger named India was last spotted prowling around the front yard of a house in Texas's west Houston neighborhood on Monday morning and has been on the loose since then.
Ron Borza, commander of the Houston Police Department's Major Offenders Division, said Friday the hunt for the male tiger, named India, has so far just led to dead ends for investigators.
"The latest, uh, we do not know," Borza told reporters on Friday when asked about the possible location of the endangered cat, adding that cops have gotten up to 300 phone calls on his possible location.
According to the Houston police, a panicked resident told police that the tiger had a collar around its neck and was staring at the residents, while some neighbours had guns drawn out and started to come out on the street.
Another video shared by a resident on social media showed an armed officer facing off with the big cat, which was wearing a collar and had been lounging on the front lawn of a home.
India was then taken away in an SUV driven away by Victor Hugo Cuveas. But on Monday night, Cuevas, 26, was taken into custody by authorities after being identified as the tiger's owner, according to the Houston Police Department.
According to Texas law, tigers can technically be owned as pets as long as the owner is able to obtain a certificate of registration. Cuevas also owns two monkeys, but they are under 30 pounds and therefore is abiding by Texas state law.
