Police seize pet tiger after it's spotted walking the streets on a lead

A young tiger has been rehomed in a zoo after it was spotted walking around the streets of Mexico on a lead.

The tiger was spotted in the city of Tijuana, in the north-western Mexican state of Baja California.

When police visited the address where the animal was thought to be kept, they discovered it living in a family home like a pet – where it had even been microchipped like a domestic cat.

The family who owned the big cat gave police a receipt for the purchase of the animal, which was born on 25th August 2015.

But they had only purchased the animal recently, with the receipt confirming a purchase date of 20th December last year – and also confirming that it was bought from a shop called Planet Exotico.

The tiger was discovered in a room where children lived, and authorities immediately made plans to remove it after deciding that it posed a risk to lives.

The family, who have not been named, say that they planned to build a cage for the animal – but did not have a license to own the beast.

Now, the big cat has been rehomed in a local zoo after vets performed an examination and found that the tiger had up to date vaccination documents and was kept in good conditions, but had been declawed to prevent potential attacks on the public.