Investigators in Tijuana, Mexico, are trying to figure out how a tiger ended up on a property under construction.
The Bengal tiger was found this week on a property in the Rinconada neighborhood, according to Federal Public Ministry officials.
Officials first became aware of the big cat when members of the National Guard were contacted by someone on Limón Street. A judge approved a search of the site, where the adult tiger was located.
In video released by the FGR, the tiger can be seen with a chain around its neck, pulled into a cage by Agencia de Investigacion Criminal officers holding ropes, who eventually secure the animal.
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While no connection to an owner has been established for the tiger, Mexican cartel leaders have a history of ownership of big cats.
Members of the Sinaloa cartel were recently accused of feeding people to tigers owned but the sons of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The revelation came in a fentanyl trafficking indictment unveiled by the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday. A dozen cartel members, including the kingpin's three sons, face a wide swath of charges from drug manufacturing to running the drug labs.
An investigation has been begun by the Federal Public Ministry. Whoever is responsible will likely face animal abuse charges, officials said.
