Escaped zoo tiger captured in Mexico after weeklong search near Texas border town

A Bengal tiger that had been on the loose for nearly a week after escaping from a zoo in Mexico has been safely captured, Reynosa city officials confirmed. 

Reynosa Mayor Carlos Peña Ortiz announced in a press release that the 220-pound tiger was caught overnight Tuesday in the city of Los Longoria, a Mexican border community across from Granjeño, Texas.

“The feline was caught without injuries thanks to the joint work of the Environmental Directorate and [Civil Protection and Firefighters Reynosa] who set a trap last night,” Peña Ortiz said on Facebook.

Officials said after an extensive search and various attacks reported on other nearby animals, authorities placed three cages in the area of the tiger’s sighting so they could complete the capture without causing harm to any animals. 

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Several government agencies had been working with the Quinta La Fauna zoo, which reported the tiger had escaped Sept. 4.

The city reported that zoo officials noticed the tiger was not in her cage around 8:30 that morning, and the mesh on the cage was destroyed, according to a news release by Mexican officials.

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Over the weekend, there were several social media posts of reported sightings of the tiger north of the border, especially near Mission, Texas. However, none were confirmed by law enforcement, according to Border Report. 

Officials in South Texas had been worried the tiger would swim across the Rio Grande and cross the border into the U.S.

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Tigers can swim up to seven miles per day, and the Rio Grande is only about 50 yards across at that location. However, reports indicate the tiger never left Mexico.

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“The Quinta La Fauna Zoo, in Reynosa, can no longer protect the specimen that escaped from its facilities, so it will be transferred to the Tamatán Zoo, in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas,” city officials said. 

City officials added that Tamatán has the appropriate facilities and personnel to protect the animal. 

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