A week-long search for a missing tiger has come to an end. The nine-month-old tiger named India was last seen on Sunday (May 9), roaming a Houston neighborhood.
An off-duty Waller County sheriff's deputy who lives in the area learned about the tiger after a neighbor posted photos and video on Nextdoor, a neighborhood-based social media app. He arrived and pointed a gun at the tiger as he waited for other officers to arrive.
During the standoff, Victor Hugo Cuevas, 26, loaded the big cat into his SUV and drove away. Cuevas, who is out on bond for a 2017 murder case, was arrested on Monday and on suspicion of felony evading arrest. While officials claimed he was India's owner, Cuevas denied owning the tiger and did not say where the animal was.
Cuevas' lawyer, Michael W. Elliott, told reporters that Cuevas took the tiger to its owner but did not provide any more details.
On Saturday, the Houston Police Department announced that India had been found and appeared to be unharmed. Authorities did not say where the tiger has been during the past week.
According to CNN, Elliot said that Cuevas' wife received a phone call about the missing tiger and that it was surrendered anonymously to her at a tennis club in Houston.
Officials said that India will be taken to Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison, Texas, where he will have his own habitat.
"Our goal is to provide him the best quality of life for the rest of his life," Noelle Almrud, senior director of the ranch, said. "We hope he will spend the rest of his life at Black Beauty."
Photo: City of Houston