• Mexican police discovered a tiger cub hidden in the trunk of a couple’s car.
• Smuggling large cats is lucrative for drug traffickers.
• Mexico allows captive-born exotic animal ownership.

When Mexican police pulled over a couple on a highway for a minor traffic infraction, they were shocked to discover a tiger cub in the trunk.

When the couple reacted “aggressively” to being flagged down in the state of Querétaro, police said they became suspicious.

A tiger has been taken into custody in Mexico before.

Large cats are popular pets for drug traffickers, and smuggling them is a lucrative trade.

The couple attempted to flee after being halted by authorities, according to El Marqués municipal police.

“Thanks to a quick maneuver, officers managed to block their way with a patrol car and arrest them immediately,” they wrote in a press release.

The tiger cub was discovered during a search of the car, hidden in the boot between luggage and suitcases.

A total of four guns and over 100 rounds were also discovered.

Officials said the cub was being cared for by experts who would aim to return it to “its natural habitat”. They did not clarify where that would be.

As long as the owner can demonstrate the animal was born in confinement, it is lawful to own an exotic animal in Mexico.

However, a large number of the animals seized in recent years were either smuggled in or purchased illegally.

Additionally, it is illegal in Mexico to walk tigers in public.

A Bengal tiger that was fully grown was apprehended in 2020 after it had been chasing after a guy with a lasso through the streets of Tlaquepaque.

Although the owner had the required documentation, authorities claimed he had not followed the required safety requirements.

In the past, lions that were kept as pets were also rehomed by Mexican wildlife officials.

In 2019, much to the annoyance of the neighbors who complained about their roars, they removed three lions from a rooftop in Mexico City where a guy had kept them for years.

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