Wildlife officers took custody of a Bengal tiger in southwest Centennial earlier today.
Division of Wildlife officers and Arapahoe County Sheriff’s deputies served a warrant on a home and found the 4-month-old male tiger, weighing between 40 and 60 pounds, DOW representative Jennifer Churchill said.
“It appears to be in good condition,” she said. The cub was taken to a wildlife sanctuary.
Suspect Patrick G. Michael was issued a summons for unlawfully possessing wildlife. It was unclear whether Michael lived at the home.
The investigation started last month when someone gave the DOW photos taken with a cell phone. They showed the tiger in an SUV being driven around Centennial.
A few weeks later, two other reports came in of a Bengal tiger in a Centennial backyard.
Agents got the SUV information and tracked it to a home, where they performed surveillance and got a warrant.
Possession of Bengal tigers in Colorado requires a special license (such as a sanctuary or zoo). Neither the driver of the SUV nor the homeowner has such a license.
“Public safety concern is definitely No. 1 for us,” Churchill said. “It’s definitely not an animal that should be residing in a home.”
