Tiger seized in Mexico after man tried to lasso it

  • Published
Bengal tigerImage source, Office of Environmental Protection, Mexico
Image caption,
The tigers were seized days after one of them was filmed roaming the streets

Mexico's Office for Environmental Protection has seized two Bengal tigers from a house in Jalisco state.

The animals were discovered after a video was shared on social media of one of the tigers roaming the streets of the city of Tlaquepaque, with a man attempting to lasso it.

When questioned by officials, the owner could provide proof that the animals were legally in Mexico.

But he failed to show that he was complying with safety regulations.

Locals were surprised to see a number of men chasing the tiger through the streets and posted the video on social media.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Ernesto Méndez

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Ernesto Méndez

The tigers - one male and one female - are aged 10 months and 2 years and 9 months respectively and found to be in a good state of health, with no signs of mistreatment.

Officials said they would be returned to their owner if he could show he can provide adequate safety measures to protect the general public.

Image source, Mexico's Office for Environmental Protection
Image caption,
The tigers are being cared for by animal welfare officials

This is not the first time reports have emerged of Bengal tigers roaming the streets of Mexico.

In 2017, a Californian man said he bought a cub for $300 (£235) from someone who was walking an adult tiger in Tijuana.

He was arrested after he tried to smuggle the cub across the US border.