Houston tiger remains unaccounted for as new details emerge
Credit: ©WCS
Has anyone tried walking around yelling the tiger’s name really loud?
A tiger that was filmed roaming the streets of a Houston neighborhood in Texas is apparently still unaccounted for. More information has come out about the animal and some people involved are claiming the situation is more complicated than it appears.
Victor Hugo Cuevas, the cat's alleged caretaker (who claims he is not its owner), was taken into custody and is facing charges related to the incident. His lawyer, Michael W. Elliott, spoke with Fox News about the current situation. According to him, locating the tiger, who is a 9-month-old male named India, and getting him to a good preserve, zoo or sanctuary is one of his main concerns right now.
He believes it’s very likely the tiger was with a man named Deandre earlier in the week. This man is apparently the cat’s actual owner and is believed by Elliott to be involved in the illegal exotic animal trade. Unfortunately, since enough time has passed, he’s less confident that India is still with this person.
Elliott also claims that Cuevas was prepared to turn himself in to Harris County police when he was arrested in Fort Bend County. The lawyer explained that because his client was arrested in a different county than where the alleged crime occurred, this has made his bond situation much more complicated than it needs to be.
Some news outlets have reported that the tiger actually belonged to a man nicknamed "D." Elliott confirmed that "D" and Deandre are the same person. He hopes to be able to sit down with a sketch artist to help with locating this person (along with India as well).
Cuevas is reportedly being held on $50,000 bond and has been charged with evading police, ABC 13 reports.
When the footage first surfaced, witnesses said Cuevas helped bring the tiger back inside but then lured the animal into an SUV and drove off before authorities could arrive. Cuevas’ lawyer, however, told KHOU 11 that people are assuming his client was the person who put the tiger into the SUV and drove off but that has not been proven.
While the tiger has yet to be located, authorities do not believe that it is roaming free, the New York Post reports. They also believe that two monkeys were living in the same house with the tiger and have reportedly also gone missing since Sunday night’s events.