Support NeoGAF

[Angry Grimace]

$300 for a tiger cub? What a deal!

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/loc...ng-CBP-Inspection-in-Otay-Mesa-441656843.html

The discovery of a Bengal tiger cub stashed in the back of a car led to an American teenager's arrest at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry Thursday.

Luis Eudoro Valencia of Perris, California, faces federal charges for trying to sneak the exotic animal into the U.S. The 18-year-old told investigators he had arranged to pay $300 for the cub from a man he saw walking a full-sized tiger on a leash in Tijuana.
Around 1:30 a.m., Valencia arrived at the Otay Mesa port of entry, according to CBP. Officers conducted an inspection and then referred the vehicle for a secondary inspection. When they searched Valencia's car, they found a tiger cub lying on the floor of the front passenger side.

When asked if it was a tiger, the passenger claimed it was just a cat.

Agents from U.S Fish & Wildlife Service have the tiger cub in their care, according to CBP. They are working with San Diego Zoo Global to ensure its well-being. The tiger cub appeared to be in good health and is currently at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido.

UPDATE: Tiger at the SD Zoo's Safari Park:

Video of Tiger cub at the Zoo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yis-DIbos-g

 

[massoluk]

When asked if it was a tiger, the passenger claimed it was just a cat.

No lies detected. It is a big cat

 

[ShdwDrake]

Dawww it's Soo cute <3

 

[Sesuadra]

wtf are humans like that smoking.

 

[JettDash]

I didn't know that you can buy a tiger in Mexico for $300.

 

[Angry Grimace]

If I had to guess the officers estimated the street value of the fuzzy little guy at $3,000,000.

(That was the only way I could describe it without baby talk.)

 

[DogDude]

I kind of want it.

 

[Bollocks]

can own an assault rifle but can't own an animal?
get your shit together america

 

[Reversed]

what the hell Tijuana?

 

[Seesaw15]

I was going to ask what the kid's plan was when it was an adult but apparently you can just walk full grown tigers. Lol.

 

[televator]

Tigers are impressive as fuck animals. I hope it can find a good range to live on. Even better if it can somehow be rerelease in the wild.

 

[NEO0MJ]

Fuck anyone who buys exotic animals like this. They'll just try to get rid of it when it grows if it doesn't kill them first.

No lies detected. It is a big cat

The best kind of right, technically right.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Tigers are impressive as fuck animals. I hope it can find a good range to live on. Even better if it can somehow be rerelease in the wild.

The San Diego Zoo is called "world famous" largely because it actually is world famous so he probably smuggled it to the right place for its well being.

There are other tigers at both the Zoo and the open range Safari Park in San Diego.

 

[Pikma]

I didn't know that you can buy a tiger in Mexico for $300.

Considering the oh so casual way he found out about it maybe that's just how cats are there&#129335;&#127995;

 

[Psxphile]

I wonder if they're (well, not Border Patrol) going to do anything about the Tijuana native with a full-grown tiger who is either apparently breeding them or has connections to the smuggling operation that cub came from.

 

[sunshine and gasoline]

Aw. Such an adorable animal.

 

[Angry Grimace]

You could probably squeeze $300 out of me to just give me 20 minutes to hug and pet the cub. Selling it for $300 is worrying as hell. Where do you even get one?

 

[LeroyPantwether]

The San Diego Zoo is called "world famous" largely because it actually is world famous so he probably smuggled it to the right place for its well being.

There are other tigers at both the Zoo and the open range Safari Park in San Diego.

Sort of off topic but holy shit the SD Zoo is incredible. Easily the best Zoo i've ever been too, and I couldn't even see the whole thing .

 

[Dynomutt]

what the hell Tijuana?

Could have been a donkey...

 

[Lotto]

He denied having any photos of the tiger on his phone. But when officers searched his phone, numerous photos of several tiger cubs were discovered, including the cub he attempted to smuggle and an adult tiger.

rookie mistake

 

[ZeroX03]

This is why Trump wants to build a wall people

He's protecting you from tiger smuggling

 

[Pikma]

rookie mistake

Well fuck, then it shouldn't be that hard to find the smugglers I guess? Then again now that the news came out it probably will.

 

[Chinner]

Has the cub been separated from its mother too soon then? Poor thing

 

[TAJ]

The San Diego Zoo is called "world famous" largely because it actually is world famous so he probably smuggled it to the right place for its well being.

There are other tigers at both the Zoo and the open range Safari Park in San Diego.

Being at the Safari Park doesn't mean anything. All exotic animals that are imported from Mexico into San Diego pass through there.

 

[Amalthea]

The whole story is insane on so many levels.

 

[JettDash]

How much does a tiger cost in America?

 

[orava]

wtf are humans like that smoking.

Social media attention.

 

[Pankratous]

If you had a tiger from birth would it be fully domesticated and calm / gentle as an adult?

 

[Ninja Dom]

The San Diego Zoo is called "world famous" largely because it actually is world famous so he probably smuggled it to the right place for its well being.

There are other tigers at both the Zoo and the open range Safari Park in San Diego.

Will other tigers in the zoo happily adopt this baby tiger?

 

[nekkid]

- Awful that this cub was taken from their mother so young
- Completely irresponsible from an ecological point of view, given their endangerment
- Did he not think about what would happen when it grew up? Has he ever seen a tiger before?
- Why is it called a 'cub', like bears, and not a kitten? &#129300;
- It's too painfully cute

 

[Angry Grimace]

If you had a tiger from birth would it be fully domesticated and calm / gentle as an adult?

No it's a wild animal. Domestication takes hundreds of years naturally.

The Soviets managed to figure out how to do it in a shorter time but it still took them like 50 years to fully domesticate wild foxes. Then they got bored and got rid of all the cute domesticated foxes.

Being at the Safari Park doesn't mean anything. All exotic animals that are imported from Mexico into San Diego pass through there.

I didn't say it would live there long term. Its good in the short term and for its placement.

 

[JettDash]

If you had a tiger from birth would it be fully domesticated and calm / gentle as an adult?

Ask Siegfried and Roy.

 

[TAJ]

Ask Siegfried and Roy.

Or watch Roar.

 

[Flo_Evans]

If you had a tiger from birth would it be fully domesticated and calm / gentle as an adult?

You can't even fully domesticate regular cats.

From what I have heard they can be pretty chill but cats like to play, it can rip your face off pretty easily even if it's not trying to kill you. And you can never be 100% sure it's not just going to decide to kill you one day.

 

[Lanrutcon]

Yeah. Let's raise a goddamn tiger in a suburban area. Let's see how that goes. I've owned enough adult cats to know I would not want one that could ragdoll me in a playful moment.

 

[TAJ]

You can't even fully domesticate regular cats.

From what I have heard they can be pretty chill but cats like to play, it can rip your face off pretty easily even if it's not trying to kill you. And you can never be 100% sure it's not just going to decide to kill you one day.

This guy got scalped with a single paw swipe from this leopard.

Speaking of scalping, Jan DeBont was scalped during the production of Roar.

 

[Heroman]

If you had a tiger from birth would it be fully domesticated and calm / gentle as an adult?

Yeah and no. It would be a dangerous as a wild tiger but it is still a wild tiger that could kill you in a second

 

[RSP]

If you had a tiger from birth would it be fully domesticated and calm / gentle as an adult?

Domestication takes place gradually over dozens or hundreds of generations usually by selective breeding.

 

[NJDEN]

can own an assault rifle but can't own an animal?
get your shit together america

Sounds reasonable to me considering it's a God damn tiger.

 

[shira]

That thing would cost a small fortune to feed.

Was he gonna sell it for profit?

Fucking dumbass

 

[Dash_Riprock]

Sounds reasonable to me considering it's a God damn tiger.

 

[Defuser]

Awwww so cute....till you realized when it grows up it's gonna murder the fuck out of you.

 

[BeforeU]

What an idiot. Cub is so adorable though <3

 

[DonMigs85]

This guy got scalped with a single paw swipe from this leopard.

Speaking of scalping, Jan DeBont was scalped during the production of Roar.

From what I gather that poor man died of his injuries

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

This dumbass was probably thinking he can feed it one chicken everyday =_=

The hungry animal would kill him for a quick meal.

 

[TAJ]

From what I gather that poor man died of his injuries

Five people were attacked. One died. It wasn't that guy, though.

 

[RespectThySole]

So cute

 

[Pikma]

Five people were attacked. One died. It wasn't that guy, though.

The same tiger attacked all of them? Holy shit

 

[TAJ]

The same tiger attacked all of them? Holy shit

Leopard. Yes.

 

[Rich]

You could probably squeeze $300 out of me to just give me 20 minutes to hug and pet the cub. Selling it for $300 is worrying as hell. Where do you even get one?

Well, when a mummy tiger and daddy tiger love each other very much....