Tigers and a Grizzly Bear at a Carter County Home

Tigers and a Grizzly Bear at a Carter County Home

Updated: March 6, 2009 07:30 PM EST

Here’s one you don’t hear every day. Tigers and bears at a home in Carter County? True story. KTEN’s Meredith Saldana has more.

The Carter County Sheriff’s Department was called out to investigate a home in the Gene Autry area after a couple from Florida recently moved here with their exotic animals.

Sheriff Ken Grace says this was definitely a first for him.

*Some of the tigers on the property are 1,200-1,400 lbs.*

KTEN received phone calls from concerned neighbors wanting to know if the exotic animals were legal to have as pets here in Carter County.

Sheriff Ken Grace says their department received numerous calls as well.

Sheriff Grace says, “About wild animals being over here like a tiger. That’s their main concern, should the thing get out and I can understand that. I would be, too, but at this time I don’t know what we can do.”

Several deputies as well as a game warden toured the property on Pleasant Road.

They found 14 Bengal tigers and a 1-year-old grizzly bear in cages on the 40 acre property.

The land owner said he had no comment and is in fact selling the property to the owners of the exotic animals.

While the animals were licensed in Florida they are not yet licensed here in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma State Agriculture Department will be coming out to investigate the Bengal tigers and will decide whether they qualify for a permit.

The bear is considered native to Oklahoma and will need to be given the OK from the State Wildlife Department.

The sheriff says he’s going to check with the Carter County District Attorney to see if anything can be done.

“Well, sure I mean you know they’re old animals and have been pinned up all their lives and they say they’re pets you know but we all know you don’t make a pet out of a lion or tiger I don’t think. So as long as they’re pinned up I guess everything’s fine we just hope nothing gets out.”

The tigers are being kept in 2 steel circus-like trailers and the bear is in a chain link electrical fence.

The game warden did write the owners a citation and gave them 30 days to come up with permits for the animals.

The owners, though, say they plan on opening an exotic animal park.

http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?s=9963104

http://bigcatrescue.org

*1200 – 1400 lbs ??? I think this might not be correct