Wild discovery in Oak Cliff; cops find caged tiger on property
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Dallas police made a wild discovery Friday in Oak Cliff... a tiger in an outdoor enclosure on a residential property.
Police were executing warrants on Aug. 25 in an ongoing animal-cruelty investigation when they found the tiger.
It was seized, along with some dogs, roosters, and chickens from the property in the 5700 block of Johnson Lane.
CBS News Texas spoke to the founder of wild life rescue In-Sync Exotics about the incident.
"We have three cats - three tigers - here right now that were seized from private property," said Vicky Keahey. "We get calls all the time."
She said while it's illegal to own, breed and sell these animals in most big Texas cities like Dallas... unfortunately, "that doesn't stop people."
"A lot of people want that feeling of being able to say that they have this powerful animal," shared Keahey. "It saddens me a lot that people don't respect the animals."
She said often times, the wild animals are found in poor condition. Once rescued, the animals aren't released back into the wild because they were born in captivity and wouldn't survive.
"The people that breed and sell them illegally put them in a cage, all I am doing is trying to clean up their mess."
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement and Texas Parks And Wildlife Department are assisting in the investigation.
The Dallas Zoo and Dallas Animal Services are helping as well.
Charges are pending and the investigation is ongoing.