The Houston Tiger Has Been Found Unharmed, Transported Safely to Animal Shelter (UPDATED)

Sarah RumpfMay 15th, 2021, 9:09 pm
 

“India,” the nine-month-old Bengal tiger last spotted roaming loose in a residential neighborhood in Houston, Texas before being put into a Jeep by a murder suspect fleeing police, has been found Saturday night, CNN is reporting.

Getting past our surprise that this story isn’t taking place in Florida, the good news is that the tiger is unharmed and has been safely transported to an area animal shelter. The Houston Police confirmed the positive developments in the tiger’s fate in a tweet Saturday night, with a press conference to come at 9:00 pm CT.

The tiger had been missing for nearly a week. Earlier, CNN had reported on video and photos of Victor Cuevas cuddling and playing with the tiger like it was just a large pet.

Cuevas, who has been accused of a 2017 shooting, was the last person seen with the tiger, but his defense attorney, Michael Elliot, insisted that his client was not the owner. Cuevas, Elliot explained, was a part-time caretaker for India and often spent days on end with the tiger every month.

Cuevas’ love for the tiger was “real” and “sincere,” Elliot told reporters. “I mean, I can see it.” His client reportedly returned the tiger to the owner, who seemed to have gone into hiding after all the press attention.

Elliot released the photos and video to help police in their effort to locate the missing tiger, cooperating with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to locate the big cat. He speculated that the tiger might be part of a larger exotic animal ring.

“I mean, you can’t go down to Pet Smart and buy a tiger,” said Elliot.

Cuevas’ bond was revoked after this week’s escapades, and he is back behind bars. Evading the police when you’re out on bond is a violation of release, even without a tiger sitting shotgun in the getaway vehicle.

The Houston Police posted another video clip of the tiger with one of the police officers who helped safely secure the animal. In the video, India can be seen snuggling on the officer, Commander Ron Borza, and animal shelter employees in a friendly manner.

“Commander, it’s been a long week looking for this guy,” said the officer holding the camera. “It really has been,” Borza replied, as he pet the tiger, “but we got him, and he’s healthy.”

Watch the video clips above, via CNN.

This is a breaking story and has been updated.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!

Tags:
Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.