‘Carole Baskin approves’: Tiger among exotic animals seized during Rio Grande Valley raid
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A number of exotic animals were discovered while authorities secured a 5-acre, single-home residence in Mercedes, Texas.
A number of exotic animals were discovered while authorities secured a 5-acre, single-home residence in Mercedes, Texas.
Photo: Border Patrol
A number of exotic animals were discovered while authorities secured a 5-acre, single-home residence in Mercedes, Texas.
A number of exotic animals were discovered while authorities secured a 5-acre, single-home residence in Mercedes, Texas.
Photo: Border Patrol
A raid in the Rio Grande Valley turned up everything bar Joe Exotic.
On March 25, federal and state authorities executed a narcotics-related search warrant at a property in Mercedes.
No one was arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation, said Drug Enforcement Administration agent Sammy Parks, but a number of exotic animals were discovered while authorities secured the 5-acre, single-home residence.
The animals — including a white tiger that would have been right at home in Netflix’s new docuseries “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” — were removed from the property by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
The animals were taken to the Austin Zoo for medical evaluation and rehabilitation.
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TPWD spokesperson Stephanie Garcia said some of the native wildlife (a bobcat and whitetail deer) had to be euthanized because they were unpermitted, being held illegally and the origin of the animals was unknown.
“It was determined that it wasn’t safe to reintroduce them into the native population,” Garcia said.
Austin Skero, with Border Patrol, shared a number of photos of the animals on Twitter. He described the property as a “pseudo-narco zoo” and noted that “a Bengal tiger, emus, llamas, porcupines, and a kinkajou” were taken for proper medical care.
While it’s not common to find exotic animals during an operation, Parks said, it does happen.
He noted the Mercedes property was not a zoo. The owner simply had a number of exotic animals caged on his property.
One Twitter user could think of someone who’d appreciate the raid.
“Carole Baskin approves this message,” Saul Uvalle said.
Click through the gallery above to see the exotic animals removed from the property.
