Escaped Tiger On U.S.-Mexico Border Caught In Trap

A Bengal tiger who escaped from a zoo south of the U.S.-Mexico border has been caught in a trap after being on the run for nearly a week.
Reynosa Mayor Carlos Peña Ortiz announced in a Facebook post on the City of Reynosa’s page on Tuesday that the 220-pound tiger was caught overnight.
Officials said after several reported sightings and attacks on animals, authorities placed three traps within the area where the tiger was spotted to avoid harming it.
“The feline was caught without injuries thanks to the joint work of the Environmental Directorate and Protección Civil y Bomberos Reynosa, who set a trap last night,” Peña Ortiz said in the post.
“The tiger is in good health, and the Federal Prosecutor’s Office for Environmental Protection, PROFEPA, has already been notified. The animal is expected to be transferred to the Victoria City Zoo, where it will receive the specialized care it needs.
“After the exhaustive search and the various attacks towards other nearby animals, authorities placed 3 cages in the area so that they could complete the capture without causing harm to the little animal,” he said.
Mayor Carlos Peña Ortiz reported on the successful capture of the tiger that had escaped from a Quinta.
The animal disappeared on September 4, which prompted warnings for U.S. residents and travelers to stay vigilant in Texas.
Staff did not notice the tiger was missing until around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, after finding the mesh to its enclosure destroyed, according to El Financiero, a Mexican newspaper.
Officials in South Texas were on alert over the possibility the tiger could cross the Rio Grande. The tiger was capable of crossing the Rio Grande.
Tigers can cross rivers several miles wide and swim up to seven miles in a day.
The Rio Grande is less than 50 yards across from Reynosa to Hidalgo, Texas.
Several government agencies made a coordinated effort to locate the animal after it made a daring escape from Quinta La Fauna Zoo in Reynosa, officials said.
Reynosa Emergency Management Coordinator Ernesto Gómez informed officials from the McAllen Fire Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to notify them about the tiger following its escape.
The zoo is located near the Rio Grande in Reynosa, just south of Hidalgo, Texas.
“The Municipal President emphasized the importance of this operation for the safety of citizens and expressed his gratitude to the teams involved, especially the Director of the Environment, for his ingenious strategy in capturing the animal of a considerable size,” the Reynosa mayor said.