Texas officials fear a tiger is on the loose after escaping zoo in Mexico
Mexican officials attempted to tranquilize the large cat after it was spotted but failed
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Your support makes all the difference.Law enforcement on both sides of the US-Mexico border are desperately searching for a tiger which escaped from a zoo.
The Bengal tiger, which weighs over 200lbs, got out of Quinta La Fauna zoo in Reynosa. The city is located close to the border and near the Texas city of McAllen.
Seguridad PĆŗblica Reynosa Police Department shared photos of the escaped tiger but no details on how it managed to escape the zoo, according to El Financiero. Zoo employees first became aware that a tiger was on the loose after discovering its ādestroyedā mesh cage at 8:30 am last Wednesday. The zoo has closed until further notice.
Pictures shared by Mexican police force show the tiger hidden in shrubbery along with pawprints and the animalās excrement.
There are now fears that the male tiger has escaped Reynosa and could have crossed the border into Texas, the Hidalgo County Sheriffās Office told KGBT-TV.
Unverified posts on Facebook claim to have spotted the tiger in San Antonio, Texas.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Seguridad PĆŗblica ReynosaĀ said: āContinuing under the instructions of the mayor Carlos PenĢa Ortiz, in the Secretariat of Seguridad PuĢblica Reynosa, we continue to work on locating the tiger that escaped from the fifth La Fauna.
āToday, we managed to find footprints, as well as excrement of said animal. We ask the citizens to remember not to approach the cat, in case you see it.ā
Reynosa police also advised the public ādo not try to catch itā.
Reynosa Environmental Protection Director AarĆ³n de la Cruz told KRGV they spotted the tiger among trees on Saturday evening where they had set up animal traps near the zoo.
De la Cruz told the news outlet that officers attempted to shoot the animal with a tranquilizer dart but the tiger was able to escape and hide amongst the trees.
The animal has killed some hens, said KRGV.
The Independent contacted Seguridad PĆŗblica Reynosa, the Mexican Federal Attorneyās Office for Environmental Protection and Texas Environmental Compliance Division officials for more information as the tigerās whereabouts remain unclear.
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