“India,” the nine-month-old Bengal tiger last spotted roaming loose in a residential neighborhood in Houston, Texas before being put into a Jeep by a murder suspect fleeing police, has been found Saturday night, CNN is reporting.

Getting past our surprise that this story isn’t taking place in Florida, the good news is that the tiger is unharmed and has been safely transported to an area animal shelter. The Houston Police confirmed the positive developments in the tiger’s fate in a tweet Saturday night, with a press conference to come at 9:00 pm CT.

UPDATE on “The Tiger”:
We are happy to report that the missing tiger seen in a Houston neighborhood last week has been found and appears to be unharmed.

The has safely arrived @BARC_Houston where a media briefing will be held about 9 p.m. at BARC at 2700 Evella. #hounews pic.twitter.com/yNLF0bPsbb

— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) May 16, 2021

The tiger had been missing for nearly a week. Earlier, CNN had reported on video and photos of Victor Cuevas cuddling and playing with the tiger like it was just a large pet.

Cuevas, who has been accused of a 2017 shooting, was the last person seen with the tiger, but his defense attorney, Michael Elliot, insisted that his client did not own the tiger. Cuevas, Elliot explained, was a part-time caretaker for India and often spent days on end with her every month.

Cuevas’ love for the tiger was “real” and “sincere,” Elliot told reporters. “I mean, I can see it.” His client reportedly returned the tiger to its owner, who seemed to have gone into hiding after all the press attention.

Elliot released the photos and video to help police in their effort to locate the missing tiger, cooperating with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to locate the big cat. He speculated that the tiger might be part of a larger exotic animal ring.

“I mean, you can’t go down to Pet Smart and buy a tiger,” said Elliot.

Cuevas’ bond was revoked after this week’s escapades, and he is back behind bars. Evading the police when you’re out on bond is a violation of release, even without a tiger sitting shotgun in the getaway vehicle.

The Houston Police posted another video clip of the tiger with one of the police officers who helped safely secure the animal. In the video, India can be seen snuggling on the officer, Commander Ron Borza, and animal shelter employees in a friendly manner.

HPD Major Offenders Commander Ron Borza is relieved “India” the is now safe: https://t.co/3w2CZznKu9 pic.twitter.com/RiNviPFzq3

— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) May 16, 2021

“Commander, it’s been a long week looking for this guy,” said the officer holding the camera. “It really has been,” Borza replied, as he pet the tiger, “but we got him, and he’s healthy.”

Watch the video clips above, via CNN.

This is a breaking story and has been updated.

The post BREAKING: The Houston Tiger Has Been Found Unharmed, Transported Safely to Animal Shelter (UPDATED) first appeared on Mediaite.

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