Albuquerque Police had been alerted of gun shots coming from a home on Indiana Street in Southeast Albuquerque on Tuesday, and after arriving at the scene located an individual with a gunshot wound to his leg.
According to the police department’s social media page, officers heard another gunshot emanating from a mobile home and located Kevin Gerardo Vargas Mercado armed with a semiautomatic handgun. He was arrested on the scene. As officers followed the trail of blood, they discovered a Bengal tiger cub being kept in a dog crate.
After a search warrant was procured, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish arrived and took custody of the tiger.
New Mexico already bans residents from keeping tigers as pets, and federal law now prohibits private owners from keeping tigers as pets or for breeding purposes. The cub will stay at the Albuquerque BioPark until the investigation is complete and a permanent home can be found.
Poor little cub shouldn’t be kept in a cage like this; luckily he was rescued. The cub weighs about 20 pounds and has been reported to be in good health.
Follow the National Pet Rescue on Facebook for the latest animal related news.
