Tiger cub seized by Phoenix Police moving to permanent home

PHOENIX — A tiger cub that was seized by the Phoenix Police Department during an arrest earlier this year is heading to its forever home.

Indy will be moving Thursday from the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale to The Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, Minnesota.

“She eats a lot, she is so playful, is curious and she’s interested in the slightest movement,” Jamie Oliver, development manager at Southwest Wildlife, said. “She loves to watch the birds and she’s developed a strong bond with her primary caregiver.”

The tiger was picked up by police in January after a suspect tried to sell it on social media for $25,000 and was subsequently arrested.

Indy, a 5-month old tiger cub, was rescued in January by Phoenix Police. Now, the cub is being relocated to the Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota. The sanctuary specializes in big cats and even has rescued a few of Joe Exotic’s animals from the Netflix Series: “Tiger King” pic.twitter.com/nOdlxLNg5I

— Colton Krolak (@ColtonKrolak) May 17, 2023

The cub, which has grown from 23 pounds to 90 pounds since January, will live alongside 130 other big cats in the sanctuary.

Her habitat will include a heated indoor bedroom, pools, caves and more.

The Wildcat Sanctuary is also home to big cats seized by the Department of Justice that appeared in the Netflix show “Tiger King.”

“Wildcat Sanctuary does everything they can to make sure that the animals who have to live in captivity because they cannot be released into the wild have the best possible life, so she’ll live in luxury,” Oliver said.

The suspect in Indy’s case, Carlos Castro Alcaraz, is facing a class 6 felony of unlawfully bartering, selling or offering to sell wildlife.

His trial is set to begin in July.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Colton Krolak contributed to this report.

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