The early morning of this Sunday, March 20, the Municipal Directorate of Public Security and Civil Protection of State and Municipal Querétaro shot down a white tiger in the municipality of Huimilpan, in the community of La Peña.

The State Civil Protection Unit reported that it could be the same tiger that had been wanted for a month in the municipality of Apaseo el Grande, Guanajuato, and that in recent days it would have caused attacks on livestock. However, the Animal Connection Association ruled out that it was the same feline, since it indicated that the tiger it was looking for in Guanajuato was orange and not albino like the one found in Querétaro.

“According to the collaboration we had at the time when the supposed sighting of the tiger happened in the Apaseo el Grande area, the inhabitants commented at the time that it was an orange animal, that was always the description that was used,” Erik Laguna, coordinator of Animal Connection Association, told AM newspaper.

Laguna emphasized that all the communiqués released by the municipalities of San Miguel de Allende, Comonfort and Apaseo el Grande described an animal with different characteristics, the color of the coat being the most notable. He also pointed out that the footprints found in Apaseo el Grande corresponded to a young feline, while the photographs of the downed tiger were more typical of an adult specimen.

“The difference in the footprint of each animal is very considerable, and the bites that occurred in some animals do not match the bites that an adult white tiger of that size could give,” he reiterated.

Authorities from the State Coordination of Civil Protection of Querétaro (CEPCQ) stated that they had to “neutralize” the feline - approximately 5 years old and weighing 140 kilos - with a firearm because it posed a danger to the safety of the population and livestock of the peasants in the area.

The determination of the authorities did not go unnoticed and caused annoyance to several social media users. “In my opinion, the fact that they have had 'no choice but to kill him' is due to their inability to respond to these situations, due to ignorance, lack of equipment, lack of protocols, etc.,” one netizen wrote on Twitter.

CEPCQ reported that in recent days it received several reports from people in Querétaro claiming to have seen the tiger in the vicinity of the La Peña community, as well as attacks on farm animals in areas around Apaseo El Grande. Assistance was also requested from the Animal Control Unit of the municipality of El Marqués for support in the care, transfer and conduct of the corresponding tests to verify that it is the same tiger.

On Sunday, February 20, the municipal authorities of Apaseo el Grande, Guanajuato, alerted the population to the presence of a loose tiger in the area of Ojo de Agua, Rancho Viejo and Tierrablanca, asking the population to remain alert and avoid traveling on unpopulated roads, as well as to avoid wandering around Mt.

Through a statement, the municipality of the entity indicated that, prior to alerting, it carried out a thorough analysis, which consisted of collecting information and testimonies from citizens, in order to identify the characteristics of the feline and the possible location it would have.

This is the second time that something similar has happened in the country, because in November 2021, through social networks, several users shared photos and videos of a bengal tiger that was captured while walking in the municipality of Tapalpa, Jalisco.

KEEP READING: