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Nevada Woman Arrested for Treating 3 Tigers Like House Cats

By George Khoury, Esq. on November 17, 2016 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

In one Nevada city, some residents are feeling a little bit more at ease after a woman was taken into custody for basically treating her 3 tigers like house cats. Neighbors reported that the woman would just let her tigers roam outside on her property. The property only had a four-foot high fence around the perimeter, and it didn't appear that the tigers would be restrained when outside.

While photos of the tigers with their owner may look cute, and there were no reports of tiger attacks leading up to the arrest, there are important safety rules and laws about exotic animals that need to be followed. For the most part, owning exotic pets is usually illegal, especially if they are endangered or dangerous.

Tiger Owner to Face Texas Justice

Surprisingly, the Nevada officers discovered that the tiger owner not only had eight monkeys in the house, she had a warrant out for her arrest out of Texas for burglary and theft.

She will not be facing charges in Nevada, and has agreed to be extradited to Houston for the warrant charges. According to multiple sources, there were previous charges of child endangerment due to keeping unrestrained tigers around her 14-year-old daughter.

What About the Cats?

Although the owner of the cats was arrested, the officers didn't just leave those fluffy killers to laze about the house. The cats were taken into protective custody by the authorities and will likely make their way to a zoo or wildlife refuge as most recovered wildlife usually does.

Generally, in most areas, people are specifically prohibited from owning wild animals such as tigers or lions. This is due to the fact that wild animals are extremely dangerous and are unpredictable. Owners of wild animals are strictly liable for the actions of their animals, which can be much more severe than the actions of a house cat or dog.

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