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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Albuquerque Police Department is addressing concerns about a rise in reports of exotic animals illegally being kept as pets. Most recently, police came across a tiger cub in a dog crate in southeast Albuquerque while investigating a shooting last week.
That cub is now in the care of the BioPark zoo. It is not the same tiger police were looking for when they raided a home near Old Town back in September, where they found an alligator but no tiger.
Wednesday night, Chief Harold Medina said he believes that tiger may have been recovered in another state. He says these investigations are often tied to other criminal activities. “Some of these actions are being committed by individuals in the narcotics world and are tied to, possibly have cartel ties,” Chief Medina said. “Very complicated investigations.”
He says he is considering a campaign through Crime Stoppers, asking the public to report people keeping exotic animals.