UPDATE: The Houston Police Department posted to Twitter that the missing tiger has been found and "appears to be unharmed."
The whereabouts of a tiger that was wandering a Houston neighborhood remain unknown as the Texas man who police allege owns the animal was released on bond.
An attorney for Victor Hugo Cuevas continued to insist to reporters on Wednesday that his client is not the tiger’s owner and like authorities is worried about the animal’s safety.
“We’re going to do everything we can do to try to find this cat and get this cat to a nice, safe place where it can enjoy a nice comfortable life. That’s really what we want to do,” attorney Michael W. Elliott told reporters during a brief news conference outside the Fort Bend County Jail.
While Elliott has denied Cuevas is the owner or caretaker of the tiger, the attorney has told reporters the animal is a 9-month-old male named India.
“We all love animals, including my client ... The public wants to know, we want to know to. We want to find India and we’re going to work hard to do that,” Elliott said.
Several videos taken by residents showed the tiger coming face-to-face with an armed off-duty Waller County sheriff’s deputy who lives in the neighborhood. The deputy told police he was alerted about the tiger on Nextdoor, a neighborhood-based social media app.
During the encounter, the deputy told Cuevas to get the animal back inside as Cuevas yelled, “Don’t shoot my cat,” according to court documents made public Wednesday. No shots were fired.
Tigers are not allowed within Houston city limits unless the handler, such as a zoo, is licensed to have exotic animals. Texas has no statewide law forbidding private ownership of tigers and other exotic animals.
"Tiger King" Carole Baskin posted to Instagram about the incident, offering a $5,000 reward for the tiger. "Carole Baskin, founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue is offering a $5,000 reward to the person responsible for the immediate, safe hand over of India the Tiger to a sanctuary that is accredited by the Global Federation of Sanctuaries..." the post read in part.
Baskin posted a video with the announcement, saying "This tiger does not belong in private hands and we need to get the tiger to safety as soon as possible."
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