Federal authorities seized two Bengal tigers from their owner in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, after a video of men lassoing one of the big cats on a city street was posted on social media last week.
The federal environmental protection agency Profepa discovered that the owner of the tiger is a resident of Tlaquepaque, although no authority has been able to determine where the incident in the video occurred.
Profepa agents visited the owner’s property and observed the facilities in which the two tigers were being held. One male and one female, they appeared to be in good physical condition and showed no signs of maltreatment.
The owner presented the agents with the proper legal documentation for possession of the two tigers, which revealed that the male tiger is aged 10 months and the female two years, nine months.
Despite the authenticating paperwork, the Profepa agents seized the two animals for the owner’s failure to register them with the federal Environment Ministry (Semarnat). He had also failed to draw up a plan for caring for the animals and getting it authorized by Semarnat.
Tigre de Bengala 🐅 se pasea por calles de Zapopan, #Jalisco
Hombre lo laza para capturarlo #VIDEO▶️ pic.twitter.com/uqYl106gFd— Ernesto Méndez (@ernesto_mendez) May 14, 2020
Profepa will hold the animals while their owner obtains the authorizations he needs. He will be able to take them back upon complying with all federal regulations.
Source: El Universal (sp)
