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Tiger illegally kept in high-rise building jumps to its death

A dead tiger cub found lying in a pool of blood near a high-rise building in Shandong Province on Chinese New Year’s Eve was being kept in captivity illegally, Peninsula Urban Daily reported.

The animal apparently broke out of its cage atop the building and jumped to its death after being frightened by the sound of firecrackers, the report said.

A couple found the dead tiger when they were parking their car near Guwu Mansion late on February 18, Lunar New Year’s Eve, in Pingdu City, the report said.

Authorities concluded the seven-month old tiger was one of two being kept in captivity on the 11th floor of a nearby high-rise, the building's roof.

A man surnamed Yang, in his 50s, reportedly told the newspaper he had signed an agreement with a sightseeing resort to raise the tigers. Both tigers were born last year and now weighed about 50 kilograms each.

Yang said he agreed to help his friend, the resort owner, raise the tigers because the resort could no longer afford to care for the animals.

Sightseeing resorts in China sometimes keep tigers to attract tourists, a business that has been heavily criticized in recent years. Some resorts allow tourists to pose with tiger cubs for a fee or train the animals for performance purposes.

Yang told the newspaper he had built a 3-meter-tall iron cage on the roof of the building for the cubs.

He arranged workers to feed them beef and chicken twice a day, according to the report.

After learning that many people had accused him of maltreating the tiger cubs, Yang was cited as saying, “I treat the tigers like my own kids and I burst into tears after learning one had died.”

Yang faces administrative punishments and fines because it’s illegal for unauthorized individuals to raise tigers, a protected species in China.

The sightseeing resort wasn’t licensed to raise tigers, subjecting the owner to similar punishments, the newspaper added.

The local forestry bureau said it would confiscate the other tiger and take it to a local zoo.

Police said they are still investigating the case.




 

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