"My main concern right now is focusing on finding him and finding the tiger because what I don't want him to do is harm that tiger. We have plenty of places we can take that tiger and keep it safe and give it a home for the rest of its life," Borza said.
The man, whose name was not released by authorities, was charged with murder in November in neighbouring Fort Bend County and was out on a US$250,000 bond. The man also apparently had two monkeys in the home, Borza said. Authorities plan to charge him with evading arrest, Borza said.
Having a monkey is not illegal in Houston if the animal is under 13.5kg. Tigers are not allowed within Houston city limits unless the handler, such as a zoo, is licensed to have exotic animals.
In 2019, some people who went into an abandoned Houston home to smoke marijuana found a caged tiger. The tiger's owner was later ordered to pay for the animal's care at an East Texas wildlife refuge.
Borza said residents should not have such animals because they can be unpredictable.
"If that tiger was to get out and start doing some damage yesterday, I'm sure one of these citizens would have shot the tiger. We have plenty of neighbours out here with guns and we don't want to see that. It's not the animal's fault. It's the breeder's fault. It's unacceptable."
- AP
