in Animals, WTF

Houston Couple Went Into An Abandoned Home To Smoke Weed And Found An Overweight Tiger Inside

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Police in Houston are investigating after 1,000-pound tiger was discovered in an abandoned southeast Houston home by a couple looking for a place to smoke weed.

Authorities say the couple entered the home on Monday intending to smoke marijuana when they found the exotic animal trapped inside a 4×8-feet cage.

After discovering the tiger the coupled called 311 and directed them to the vacant home, though the dispatcher initially questioned whether the couple were hallucinating.

With the help of Houston police animal control officers obtained a search warrant and entered the home.

The animal control crew reportedly nicknamed the big cat “Tyson” after the movie The Hangover.

Lara Cottingham, of the city’s Administration & Regulatory Affairs Department say’s Tyson had not been “well cared for.” Although the female cat appeared to be well fed she was dehydrated and kept in cramped conditions.

Police say Tyson was found in a “rinky-dink” cage in the home’s garage. The cage was not locked and the garage was secured with a screwdriver and a nylon strap.

After arriving authorities tranquilized Tyson and transported her to Houston’s BARC animal shelter where the tiger will stay temporarily until a permanent home can be found.

After her discovery Tyson’s bizarre story quickly made headlines, though people seemed to have the most trouble believing that the incident hadn’t taken place in Florida.

Police are now looking for the owners of the abandoned residence. Although it is legal to own a tiger in the state of Texas with a wild game permit, it is illegal in Houston, and the owners could face significant fines if they are found.

Given Tyson’s size though, people started guessing where the owners might be found.

But more were worried about the conditions that the tiger had been kept in.

It’s all good news for Tyson though as an undisclosed sanctuary has reportedly agreed to take her.

Looks like everything turned out great.

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Written by Dennis Matthew Livesey

Matt is a writer, designer, and native New Yorker. He has worked in film, where he enjoyed a brief career as a stand-in for Ian Holm; finance, where he pretended to understand his job, and real estate, where nothing remarkable happened. He writes about science, technology, and media. His work includes magazine articles, one published book, and the looming inevitability of the second.