A tiger was videoed roaming the streets of Tecuala, Nayarit, a smallish city on the west coast of Mexico just a ways north of Puerta Vallarta.
A woman can be heard screaming in the video, and another woman who appears to be filming can be heard yelling, "Shut up! It's not going to do anything to you."
And then this guy showed up and throws a rope around the tiger's neck, gave him a little rub, and walked away with him just as easy as that. The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection said the man was one of their staff who was responding to reports about the tiger.
At one point he drops the rope, and a woman yells, "Oh, he let go of him!" No doubt fearing the tiger is going to turn on him and her as well, as if that little bit of string he's holding would stop a tiger if it really wanted to eat anyone. Really, the tiger seemed pretty happy to see the Federale and very comfortable around humans.
According to Infobae, in Mexico it is legal to own big cats like tigers. In fact, you can pick up a cub for as little as 500-700 pesos, roughly $25-$35, and it doesn't take much to take care of a cub, but then after three or four months they grow up.
Food and space quickly become an issue in caring for adult big cats, and they are often subjected to mistreatment and malnourishment, which leads to abandonment and "accidents:" think Siegfried and Roy.
There's still no indication who it belongs to, but last year a video in the area went viral of a tiger in a truck bed that was tied down, so authorities are investigating that lead.
For now, the tiger was taken into custody by the Environmental Protection office and seems to be having a good time.
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