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 Americas & Beyond | June 2008 
Police Investigate Sale of Tigers in Wal-Mart Parking Lot
 Ryan Holeywell - The Monitor
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| | Two Bengal tiger cubs sit in a cage in the back seat of a truck on Sunday. McAllen Police and federal authorities are investigating the sale of the tigers, which allegedly took place in the parking lot of a shopping center. (Nathan Lambrecht/The Monitor) | | |
McAllen, Texas - Police and federal authorities are investigating the sale of six Bengal tiger cubs that allegedly took place in the parking lot of a shopping center Sunday.
A group from Spring Hill Widlife Ranch in Bryan was allegedly selling the cubs - 4 white ones and 2 orange ones - in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart near Jackson Avenue and Expressway 83 this afternoon.
Police say ranch employees were selling the white cubs for $5,500 per animal and the orange ones for $900 per animal.
A McAllen Police Department patrol officer became suspicious of the group, since one of the trucks involved in the alleged transaction was a truck with Mexican plates, police said.
When the officer approached, police said, the group moved to the parking lot of the nearby Mervyn's department store, prompting the officer to follow the group and eventually discover the tigers.
Now authorities are trying to determine whether the group broke any laws by selling the tigers. "The basic premise of this transaction in a parking lot - it doesn't seem right," said McAllen Police Sgt. Eddie de la Rosa.
Jerry Stores, facilities director at Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, said Bengal tigers are an endangered species but it is legal to privately own them. He said thousands of large cats including tigers, leopards and lions are in private hands throughout the state.
But, Stores said, one needs a federal permit to sell Bengal tigers, and a special permit is needed for Bengals that are Mexico-bound.
The sellers from Spring Hill told authorities they were selling the tigers to someone in Hidalgo. Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to determine the facts of the case. Alejandro Rodriguez, a special agent with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, said large cats have previously been illegally smuggled from the Valley to Mexico.
Police say the vehicle the buyer was driving lacked air conditioning, which also raised concern about the animals' safety.
Two people allegedly involved in the transaction declined to comment on the situation to The Monitor.
Police arrested one woman involved in the alleged transaction for interfering with their investigation. She became irate and attempted to barricade herself in a truck containing the tigers after a Monitor photographer and reporter began photographing the animals from the parking lot.
Ryan Holeywell covers PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446 |
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