Tiger Tale

My partner and I were on patrol when we received a call concerning a tiger on the loose in the northern part of the county. Since it was around 3:00 a.m., we figured someone had had too much to drink and was seeing things. We asked the dispatcher to confirm the call. She again stated that it was a tiger and it was prowling around the community. We arrived on the scene laughing about what we would probably find. As we spotlighted the various houses, we saw a Bengal tiger slowly walking around the corner of a house. It saw the lights and came to our patrol vehicle where it played tug-of-war with the car by biting the rubber bumper. The car was actually pulled backwards by the force of the tiger's jaws. The animal let go and walked to the side of the car. When it stood flat-footed, it's back went up to the driver's window.

We backed off and were able to locate where the tiger had come from. It had gotten away from a refuge for exotic animals. It was returned there and quickly placed back into a cage. The owner said that the tiger was tame but neither my partner nor I was brave enough to see just how tame it was!

Joe Willis
Investigator
Anderson Count District Attorney's Office
Grapeland, TX