Wylie Animal Sanctuary Welcomes Tiger Abandoned At Border
WYLIE (CBSDFW.COM) - A tiger cub that was found by U.S. Border Patrol agents earlier this year has finally arrived at his permanent North Texas home. In-Sync Exotics in Wylie officially welcomed Kenobi on Friday. The animal sanctuary is now tasked with caring for the animal going forward.
The cub was discovered on April 30 by patrol agents near Brownsville. He was being smuggled across the border in a black duffel bag by three men. Officials said that the men were most likely trying to sell the tiger cub to the highest bidder. When the men spotted the agents, however, they abandoned the animal and crossed back into Mexico.
Border agent Robert Rodriguez said that the tiger appeared to be calm, and was possibly sedated when he was found. The agents took the cub to Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville to be stablized and given a temporary home. He was thought to be only 3 or 4 months old at the time.
In-Sync Exotics agreed to take in the animal permanently, following a mandatory quarantine period at the zoo.
The sanctuary also named the cub Kenobi, after the classic "Star Wars" character Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is something of a theme for In-Sync Exotics. They welcomed a white tiger cub back in March and called it Kylo Ren, the name of the villain in some of the more recent "Star Wars" films.
And while Kenobi and Kylo Ren may never meet in the "Star Wars" saga, the two tiger cubs will be introduced to each other soon. In-Sync Exotics stated that "having another cub to play, interact, learn and nap with stimulates healthy growth and development, just as it would in the wild."