A three-month-old Bengal tiger is settling into his home at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park after he was rescued by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service when a teenager tried to smuggle him across the Mexican border.
He has bonded with a four-month-old Sumatran tiger that was brought to the San Diego Zoo to be his companion.
The Sumatran tiger came from Washington D.C. after he had been rejected by his mother. Experts believed it would be best to raise the cubs in pairs.
The two tiger cubs appear near identical, but the Bengal tiger (left) has brighter white above his eyes than the Sumatran
The three-month-old cub was rescued at the Mexican border during an attempt to smuggle him into the U.S. via California
‘They’re doing great. They act like little brothers — they play and cuddle a lot, and they squabble a bit like most brothers, but it’s all natural, healthy behavior,’ Lori Hieber, senior mammal keeper at the park, said to KTLA5.
Luis Eudoro Valencia, 18, a U.S. citizen from Perris, California, was charged on August 17 with unlawful importation and smuggling, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, after he tried to bring the cub into the U.S.
Agents allegedly found the cub lying on the floor of the 2017 Chevy Camaro on the passenger side while doing a routine inspection at about 1.30am on August 16 at the Otay Mesa border crossing, southeast of San Diego, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The Sumatran tiger tiger was rejected by his mother and sent to the San Diego Zoo to be a companion for the Bengal rescue
Luis Eudoro Valencia, 18, told the court that he purchased the tiger for $300 from someone he met in the Mexican border city of Tijuana who was walking a full-sized tiger on a leash
The Bengal tiger will eventually be about 200 pounds heavier than his Sumatran friend, but they are approximately the same size right now
Valencia told the court that he purchased the tiger for $300 from someone he met in the Mexican border city of Tijuana who was walking a full-sized tiger on a leash.
The pair of cubs made their zoo debut on October 16.
Both species are at risk in the wild. Bengal tigers are endangered and Sumatran tigers are critically endangered.
The Bengal tiger arrived at the zoo in August and the Sumatran moved in in September. The pair quickly bonded and are inseparable
Agents allegedly found the cub lying on the floor of the 2017 Chevy Camaro on the passenger side while doing a routine inspection at about 1.30am on August 16 at the Otay Mesa border crossing, southeast of San Diego
‘Tigers are killed by poachers who illegally sell tiger body parts, mostly for folk remedies,’ according to a statement from the zoo.
‘People can help protect wild tigers by avoiding products made with non-sustainable palm oil, an industry that harms tiger habitat; and by refusing to purchase items made from endangered wildlife.’
The Bengal tiger will eventually be about 200 pounds heavier than his Sumatran friend.