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

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 Pública 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 “destroyed” mesh cage at 8:30 am last Wednesday. The zoo has closed until further notice.

The Bengal tiger’s whereabouts are unknown but officials confirmed a sighting along with animal tracks (Seguridad Pública Reynosa)

Pictures shared by Mexican police force show the tiger hidden in shrubbery along with pawprints and the animal’s excrement.

There are now fears that the male tiger has escaped Reynosa and could have crossed the border into Texas, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s 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 Pública Reynosa said: “Continuing under the instructions of the mayor Carlos Peña Ortiz, in the Secretariat of Seguridad Pública Reynosa, we continue to work on locating the tiger that escaped from the fifth La Fauna.

Mexican police warned the public not to try and catch the animal and remain cautious (Seguridad Pública Reynosa)

“Today, 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.”

Reynosa police also advised the public “do not try to catch it”.

Reynosa Environmental Protection Director Aarón de la Cruz told KRGV they spotted the tiger among trees on Saturday evening where they had set up animal traps near the zoo.

The tiger was spotted in the shrubbery by police officials near the zoo on Saturday (Seguridad Pública Reynosa)

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 Pública Reynosa, the Mexican Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection and Texas Environmental Compliance Division officials for more information as the tiger’s whereabouts remain unclear.