After a police raid, the Mexican drug cartel abandons the truck with the tiger in the back seat.

Members of a Mexican anti-drug team saw a convoy of cartel cars last Monday in Sinaloa, north of Mexico, and a fierce shooting broke out. Gang members fled the site after the fierce gunfight, but they left behind their cars, weapons, ammo, and tiger.

Revised: April 13, 2023, 8:41 IST

Truck With A Tiger In Back Seat Is Abandoned By Mexican Drug Cartel

Sinaloa: Gunfights between security forces and drug gangs are nothing new in Mexico, but in one peculiar incident, a drug cartel dumped the car of their drug leader in the middle of the road with a Bengal tiger sitting in the back seat.

Members of a Mexican anti-drug team saw a convoy of cartel cars last Monday in Sinaloa, north of Mexico, and a fierce shooting broke out. Gang members fled the site after the fierce gunfight, but they left behind their cars, weapons, ammo, and tiger.

The automobiles are covered in gunshot holes in a bystander's footage of the incident, but the tiger, who was in the back seat, is unscathed. The pandemonium seemed to have little effect on the tiger, in fact.

A unit of the National Guard and the Mexican Army were present when the three vehicles were discovered, according to a government spokesman. The tiger, the weaponry, and the three vehicles were all taken into custody.

After that, the tiger was moved to the Culiacan Zoo before being moved on to the adjacent Ostok animal refuge.

The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection's office reported that the tiger is a juvenile between the ages of 11 and 12 months and is in good health. The owner's identity is currently unknown. The tiger was not hostile and was accustomed to being among people.

A Bengal tiger cub was discovered by Albuquerque police in a trailer that was thought to be connected to a drug operation in January 2023. A month later, the cub moved into his new home at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado. The young tiger, given the name Duke by his rescuers, is reportedly settling into his new home in Keenesburg, where guardians are hoping he will start to grow at a pace appropriate for his breed.