Tiger cub rescued from illegal sale finds forever home at Minnesota sanctuary
(Credit The Wildcat Sanctuary) (Supplied)
SANDSTONE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A tiger cub rescued from an illegal online sale in Arizona has found a forever home at The Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, Minnesota.
The cub, named Indy, was rescued after a man attempted to illegally sell the tiger on social media to an undercover officer for $20,000. Police found Indy living in a dog kennel inside the man’s closet, and she was transported to Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale, Arizona for temporary care until the case was solved.
The Wildcat Sanctuary (TWS) said it’s now time for Indy to move to her forever home. TWS staff drove 3,400 miles round-trip to pick up the 5-month-old cub who will spend the rest of her life with 130 other big cats that reside at the sanctuary. They hope to introduce her to other tigers once she is big enough, but she has plenty to explore in the meantime.
"She’ll enjoy a large, free-roaming habitat with a heated indoor bedroom, pools, caves and plenty of enrichment to keep her happy and her senses challenged," the sanctuary said in a statement.
TWS added it’s not unusual for them to help big cats involved in illegal trafficking.
"As an accredited sanctuary, we commonly assist the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and other authorities on cases like these. Tigers and other big cats are still being sold and trafficked illegally in the United States," the sanctuary said in a statement.
In 2021, the sanctuary took in four big cats the Department of Justice seized from the park made famous in the Netflix series "Tiger King". The sanctuary also took in four tiger cubs that were saved during the war in Ukraine.
To learn more about Indy’s story, visit the Wildcat Sanctuary website here.