Authorities believed a tiger had been bought at a New Mexico home. They found drugs, guns and an alligator, but the tiger was nowhere to be spotted.
A tiger is still believed to be missing in New Mexico
, the state Department of Game and Fish announced Saturday. Authorities believe the tiger was illegally being kept as a pet. Department investigators believe the tiger – which is less than a year old and is believed to weigh between 30 and 60 pounds – is in New Mexico or a nearby state. Tigers, however, can grow up to 600 pounds, depending on the subspecies.
Conservation officers from NMDGF obtained search warrants for two Albuquerque residences on Aug. 12 and, with assistance from federal, state and local law enforcement, served both warrants in the city’s south valley, the department stated in a news release. A 26-year-old male inside one of the residences was taken into custody and New Mexico State Police began to clear the home. While doing so, they were advised of three large bags of marijuana drug paraphernalia, several rifles and a handgun. Officers also located a container of cash,As NMDGF executed a search warrant regarding the purchase of the tiger, they located scales, a white powdery substance and a scale. They also found a five-gallon bag of marijuana in a crawl space in the attic.