Officers in Albuquerque, New Mexico, were surprised to find a tiger cub while they investigated a shooting near a convenience store on Tuesday.
Officers were alerted to shots fired at 304 Indiana Street from gunshot detection system ShotSpotter, according to a Facebook post from the Albuquerque Police Department.
When they arrived at the Allsup’s convenience store, they were told someone had been shot outside of the business.
As they were investigating the shooting, they heard more gunfire coming from a mobile home where they found Kevin Gerardo Vargas Mercado allegedly armed with a semiautomatic handgun.
He was arrested.
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Officers followed a trail of blood that led them to a trailer in the area where they expected to find someone suffering from a gunshot wound.
But instead, they found a Bengal tiger in a dog crate.
According to KTLA, it appeared the tiger was not injured.
The tiger was taken into custody by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
According to a Facebook post by the agency, the young tiger was examined and appeared to be in good health.
The tiger will reside at the ABQ BioPark, an Albuquerque zoo, until the investigation is complete and a permanent home is located.
The tiger is only a few months old and weighs 20 pounds.
In New Mexico, it is illegal to possess a tiger. They can only be kept at zoos, according to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
The average lifespan for a Bengal tiger is between eight and 10 years. They grow between 5 and 6 feet in length and can weigh anywhere from 240 to 500 pounds. The Bengal tiger, found in India, are considered endangered with less than 2,500 in the wild, according to National Geographic.
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