Teen arrested trying to sneak tiger cub into US

  • 26/08/2017

A teenager has been arrested after he neglected to declare he was carrying a little Bengal tiger cub, when crossing the border between Mexico and the US.

The baby animal was chilling on the passenger-side floor of Luis Eudoro Valencia's car when he was spotted during an inspection at the Otay Mesa border crossing, early on Wednesday morning (local time).

He was quickly seized by US Fish and Wildlife Service officers and is now being cared for by the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Valencia, from California, has been arrested. He said he bought the cub for $300 in Tijuana.

The cub is only around five weeks old and his carers say his teeth haven't even come through yet, but they say he's in good health and should thrive.

Bengal tigers usually start eating solids at around six to eight weeks old, and are weaned at six months. They live with their mother until they're around two years old.

Newshub.