Tiger Finds New Home At North Texas Animal Sanctuary

MURCHISON, TX — A tiger found caged in an abandoned home in southeast Houston on Monday arrived at his new home. The tiger, dubbed Tyson by BARC officials in Houston, arrived at the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison on Tuesday.

Officials said the tiger will undergo a thorough physical examination and will be quarantined for two weeks.

The tiger will get its own habitat on the 1,400-acre sanctuary, which is home to 800 other animals, including two other tigers.

However, whether the tiger is able to stay may depend on legal action as officials try and determine how the tiger arrived in the U.S. If no one lays claim to the tiger, he will remain at the sanctuary for the rest of his life, officials said.

The tiger was discovered last week in an abandoned house in the 9400 block of E. Avenue J by a woman who was in the house smoking marijuana with a friend.

The woman called the city’s 3-1-1 public service line on Monday and reported seeing the tiger in a small cage.

READ ALSO: Pot Smoking Pals Find Caged Tiger In Abandoned Houston Home

Police and animal control officials went to the home and were able to safely remove the tiger, which was take to the BARC animal control facility until it was transported to the animal sanctuary on Tuesday.

It is a violation of Chapter 6 of the City’s Code of Ordinances to keep a tiger within city limits unless the facility has been accredited by a nationally recognized zoological association. BARC and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office are assisting HPD’s Major Offenders Animal Cruelty Squad in their investigation into the ownership of the animal.

Click here to learn more about the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch.

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Image: BARC Animal Shelter

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