Wildlife officers took custody of a Bengal tiger Wednesday afternoon in southwest Centennial.
State 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.
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 cellphone showing the tiger being driven around Centennial in an SUV.
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 that of a sanctuary or zoo. Neither the driver of the SUV nor the homeowner had such a license.
Said Churchill: “It’s definitely not an animal that should be residing in a home.”
The Denver Post
