HOUSTON — A few tigers have made headlines in Houston in recent years, including a big fella named Loki.
We've got an update on how Loki is doing five years after he was rescued but first, the backstory.
In 2019, Loki was found caged up in the garage of an abandoned home near Galena Park in southeast Houston. A couple of people who'd gone inside the tiny house to smoke pot were shocked to see the tiger and they called 311.
Houston police tranquilized the tiger so they could temporarily move him to BARC's shelter.
"I've never come across a tiger this large, never," HPD Sgt. Jason Alderetti told us that day.
Officers said the big cat was well-fed and in good shape but could have easily escaped.
"He’s in a rinky-dink cage that could easily bust open. It was secured with a nylon strap and a screwdriver for the top of the cage," Alderetti said. "He could have gone on a rampage in the city. Anything could have happened!”
“It’s big and it’s scary,” neighbor Pablo Briagas said. “A lot of kids around the street, too. My kids, the neighbor has kids, so, it’s scary.”
HPD named the tiger "Tyson" after the boxer whose character owned a tiger in the movie "The Hangover." His name was changed to Loki after he was transferred to the Black Beauty Ranch and animal sanctuary in Murchison, Texas, southeast of Dallas.
Loki still thriving five years later
Fast forward five years, and we're happy to report that Loki, now seven years old, is living his best life at the sanctuary, which is part of the Humane Society of the United States.
Caregivers say Loki went through a long adjustment period when he first arrived at the ranch. Judging by his reaction the first time he stepped on grass, they don't think he'd ever experienced that before.
Once he got used to the outdoors, Loki became a happy camper and began to express the natural instincts and behaviors that tigers in the wild have, HSUS said.
“After receiving proper care from our team, Loki looks physically strong and robust and has grown into a confident tiger," Black Beauty Ranch Senior Director Sue Tygielski said. "He likes to chill out in his lush, expansive habitat and spends his days splashing in his pool, sunning on his platform, and lying under shady trees taking in the breeze."
Elsa, a tiger rescued in San Antonio during the 2021 winter storm, also lives at the sanctuary.
A tiger named India that was found wandering in a Houston neighborhood the same year once called the ranch home but he died of cancer last December.
It's legal to own a tiger in Texas if the owner has a wild game permit. However, it is illegal in Houston.
