http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,131102,00.html I say once they capture him/her bring it to LSU...
Based on witnesses descriptions, the tiger is probably about 100 pounds and 1 year old, Whitt said. If it was kept as a pet, it probably has not learned how to hunt for food, he said. "It probably has no experience whatsoever in killing anything, catching it and eating it," Whitt said. "It's probably just freaked out and looking for a way back to where it belongs." Heinrich said he was armed with a dart gun and would try to tranquilize the animal if and when he spots it. However, thick brush made the search difficult, and muddy ground could make it tough to follow the tiger's tracks, he said. The tiger was first spotted Friday by Robert McElroy, who is retired from the Army, near a base gas station. McElroy said he first thought it was a bobcat, but then recognized it as a tiger and saw its collar. McElroy said he immediately reported it to military police officers. "At first I didn't believe it and I am not sure if they did, but they did call for someone to come and look for it," McElroy said. "When I went home and told some of my friends they didn't believe me either." There have been five sightings since Friday, said Maj. Ron Elliott, a Fort Polk spokesman. An attempt to catch the tiger with a trap baited with deer meat was unsuccessful, Elliott said. If the animal is caught and its owner does not come forward, it would likely be sent to one of several facilities in Texas for exotic animals, Heinrich said. Heinrich is owner of Anna's Exotic Animal Ranch and Wildlife Consultants (search), which maintains game reserves in Louisiana and Mississippi and keeps white-tailed deer at its ranch in East Feliciana Parish. The firm specializes in hooved animals such as antelope, deer and giraffe. Louisiana has no law against ownership of exotic animals such as tigers. A federal law passed last year prohibits interstate commerce in such animals. :hihi: Geauxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Tiger, Geauxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx What a lucky little boy ... footloose and fancy free in the wild ... they'll catch him after a while with bait when he's really hungry ... until then he'll scrounge and get all "snacks" he needs ... Frogs, lizards, nutria, minks and ~B~E~A~V~E~R~S~ :hihi: Bengal Tigers are truly incredible animals. The young ones I have held, fed and played with were nothing short of magnificent ... they have a truly magical quality about them ... The older ones I have fed and petted truly loved the attention given them ... my wife wants to bring a kitten back to America in a few years ... Cost of these Tigers is unbelievably expensive in the US ... But in Thailand, where they are bred by the thousands, you can get one for a few thousand ... They live up to 25 years and make very loyal pets when raised from kittens. I can get one boated in to LA for about 5 thousand USD. Now that will be a cool retirement home ... with a back yard that looks like a miniature version of Tiger Stadium ... with a live Bengal Tiger in it :hihi: Hey ... I could even invite you guys over for a cookout ... and TE could bring his little yappers to "play with the Tiger" :wink: Here's a hungry little sixty pound whippersnapper that took a shining to my wife ... we stayed all day long and played with the Tigers ... she had tears in her eyes when we left this place ... check out the size of those mitts :wink: ... looks like a wideout to me
Tiger loose on Fort Polk I just got a call from an old Army Buddy stationed at Fort Polk, and he told me there is a live Tiger on the loose there. Did someone steal Mike and set him free on Fort Polk Yesterday? Someone spotted the Tiger near the gas station on Fort Polk, and now there are soldiers going around North Fort Polk looking for him.
Link on CNN Just found a link about it.. http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/09/01/loose.tiger.ap/index.html
bengal tigers are disappearing from the wild at an enormous rate.. by buying one, you are only adding to the business of taking these animals from their natural habitats.. im no eco-freak, but importing exotic animals so you can look at them and feel special about it is just wrong..
I agree it doesn't help ... but the reason they are poached is because rich Asians have the adults killed for body parts (much like our black bears) ... it's sickening ... I agree The by-product of this is an enormous amount of orphaned cubs ... Did you know that there are so many orphaned cubs ... and do you know what the fate of most of them is???? they have to wean them on MOMMA SOWS ... Seeing is believing ... here's a photo If we do get an orphaned cub ... I'd consider it a privelege to raise it in a loving environment rather than see it stuck in a tiny cage and suffer. My wife is the biggest cat lover on earth and if i had to come back as an animal, I'd want to be one of her cats ... Life is good.
