India, a playful nine-month-old Bengal, captured national attention and sympathy during a week-long hunt that ended with his timely rescue. Carole Baskin, an activist who is the CEO of Big Cat Rescue, offered a $5K reward for his safe return. Newsreels from New York to London shared his precarious plight. Police searched exotic animal trafficker sites, fielded tips and stalked the streets, searching for the cub on the prowl. There were false reports, tips, prank calls and desperate pleas for the return of the 170-pound cat.
Now, India prefers to either sleep or he’s exploring his den area with a hammock and large toys to keep him busy. He’s had a long, exciting adventure. When he’s awake, he is playing with his water trough, which fascinates him.
India was first sighted in a west Houston neighborhood, shortly corralled by Victor Hugo Cuevas, 26, who loaded him into his white Jeep Cherokee and spirited him away. Viral videos circulated showing India escaping a home leased by Cuevas in west Houston. Cuevas, an MMA fighter, remains held on a $300,000 bond in connection with a 2017 murder charge. He had jumped bond on several past occasions and a judge in Fort Bend revoked Cuevas’ most recent bond. He is also being given a new trial date for the 2017 case.
The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Houston Police Department with the arrest of Cuevas in the 24300 block of Bella Veneza Drive in Richmond. Cuevas had a warrant for evading arrest in a Motor Vehicle, a third degree felony and was taken to the Fort Bend County Jail. Cuevas was previously charged with murder in connection to a 2017 deadly shooting in Fort Bend County. On July 14, 2017 at 7:30 pm the sheriff’s office investigated the murder in the 5600 block of W. Grand Parkway. On July 28, 2018, they obtained a murder arrest warrant for Victor Cuevas. The bond was set at $750,000. That same day, Cuevas was arrested at an airport when returning from Mexico and later bonded out.
More recently, Cuevas was arrested in November 2020, for bond revocation. The investigation remains open.
After nearly a week of searching, the tiger seen roaming the streets of a neighborhood in west Houston has been found. His owner, Gia Cuevas, speaks to India in Spanish, saying “Besos” and India responds with a kiss. India is house broken.
“We are happy to report that the missing tiger seen in a Houston neighborhood last week has been found and appears to be unharmed,” says HPD Commander Ron Borza.
“Just because we got India back doesn’t mean there aren’t other exotic animals in the city of Houston,” says Borza. “I’d like to round them all up and put them in a safe environment, because it’s not safe in an apartment, it’s not safe in a house. They need to be with other animals.”
Borza rubbed India’s ears as his owner, Gia Cuevas, fed him. In videos shared by Cuevas’ lawyer Michael Elliott and police, the tiger affectionately plays with humans interacting with him.
It is illegal to own a tiger in the city of Houston, officials said.
India was returned unharmed Saturday evening, with the help of Linda McIngvale who knew the Cuevas couple. She facilitated the transfer to Houston’s Bureau of Animal Control (BARC). India spent the night at BARC and the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch picked her up the next morning. She now lives at their 1400-acre sanctuary in Murchison in Henderson County, where there are two other young tigers. India will remain in quarantine for thirty days and then the staff will see if India is a good fit to be introduced to Loki or Elsa, two other tigers at Black Beauty who were also rescued from the pet trade in Texas.
Noelle Almrud, senior director at Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, says India will remain in quarantine for 30 days to make ensure he’s not carrying any viruses or diseases he could pass on to our other animals. Her team felt it was best to let him acclimate initially in his den before introducing him to his spacious habitat. “We want to give him time to acclimate on his own terms, because he was accustomed to living in a small house for so many months,” Almrud says. “After his quarantine period, we’ll look at other options as far as introducing him to other cats.”
He receives a proper diet for a tiger that includes red meat, plus nutritional supplements. “It costs the sanctuary approximately $25k a year for the humanely raised meat, vet care, enclosure modifications, staffing, utilities, enrichment,” says Almrud. India will likely reach 600 pounds when fully grown.
Items in India’s enclosure include a large red ball and other toys, as well as a large trough of water to play in. Videos shared by the Sanctuary show him sniffing and exploring his new digs. India no longer wears the blinged-out turquoise collar his owner Gia Cuevas bought for him.
Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch is an accredited member of the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance and Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. Black Beauty is one of the largest and most diverse animal sanctuaries in the United States, with over 40 species.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are an estimated 5,000 tigers in captivity in the United States.
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