Siberian Tiger Found in Car Trunk

July 19 – Mexican police rescued an endangered Siberian tiger cub from the trunk of a car after the vehicle’s driver was pulled over for speeding. As federal police questioned the driver, they heard a growl from the trunk and, on opening it, found the 15-pound tiger cub inside a plastic carrying case. Mexico’s security ministry said the discovery was made on Sunday on a highway in the central state of San Luis Potosi. The speeding car had U.S. license plates and the suspect was identified as Eduardo del Refugio. He showed police a certificate from an animal nursery in the State of Mexico as his license for transporting the tiger. But police believed the document had been altered and called in Mexico’s environmental protection watchdog agency which confirmed the document was bogus. The tiger cub is being cared for in an animal shelter. Del Refugio has been detained and could face between six months and six years in prison for allegedly trafficking endangered species, the security ministry said. The Siberian tiger is under threat from poachers and only about 200 remain in the wild. As an endangered species, there are strict international bans on smuggling and trading tigers.