U.S. Border Patrol agents made a shocking discovery on Monday, April 30, when they opened a duffel bag left by three people trying to enter the United States illegally.
Brownsville Border Patrol agents spotted three individuals trying to enter the country near the Rio Grande. One of the individuals was wearing a black duffle bag that they left behind as they returned back towards Mexico.
The agents found a live male tiger cub inside the bag that looked around three to four months old, reported KHOU11.
The tiger has since been transported to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville where he was checked by staff.
Irma Chapa, Communications Director for the Rio Grande Valley Sector of the United States Border Patrol, provided an update of the tiger’s condition and a photo of the cub.
“Rescued tiger cub expected to make a full recovery! Saved by Brownsville Border Patrol,” she wrote in her tweet.
UPDATE: Rescued tiger cub expected to make a full recovery! Saved by Brownsville Border Patrol. @CBPRGV #USBP #CBP #USBPRGV #meangreen #DHS pic.twitter.com/271Gq7NzQq
— Irma Chapa (@chapa_irma) May 1, 2018
In a similar case, teenager Luis Eudoro Valencia was caught trying to smuggle a Bengal tiger cub into the U.S. from Mexico in August 2017. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered the tiger cub lying on the floor of the front passenger seat of the car Valencia was traveling in.
The 21-year-old driver of the car told officers that they bought the tiger cub from someone walking an adult tiger on a leash in the Mexican city of Tijuana.
The tiger cub was subsequently confiscated and placed into the custody of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents.
“CBP officers are often faced with unusual situations,” Pete Flores, director of field operations for CBP in San Diego, told the Telegraph at the time.
“The CBP officers at the Otay Mesa port of entry met the challenge head-on and assisted in preserving the life of this endangered species.”
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