Authorities in Mexico have discovered an ultra-rare lion-tiger hybrid, known as a liger, among 135 exotic animals living on a luxury ranch allegedly owned by the Gulf Cartel in Tamaulipas.
The property also housed buffalos, ostriches, hyenas, lions, panthers, jaguars, monkeys, deer, tortoises, camels, farm animals and a host of exotic birds, according to reports.
Illicit fuel and weapons seized
Alongside the animals, the raid uncovered 68,000 litres of allegedly illicit diesel, two guns, vehicles and fuel-handling equipment. Local media suggested the ranch may have served as a headquarters for the Gulf Cartel's international smuggling operations.
The Gulf Cartel is one of Mexico's oldest organised crime groups, operating mainly through rival factions controlling territory and smuggling routes in Tamaulipas. Their traditional business involves moving cocaine, marijuana and synthetic drugs across the US border.
Animals rehoused in reserves
Many of the animals have already been rehoused in wildlife reserves or zoos, with others held in temporary locations for "assessment, safekeeping and specialised handling," according to reports.
The discovery came after a week of highly organised raids on cartel property across Mexico. Just last week, three more big cats were found at a property linked to the Jalisco criminal cartel.
Raids across multiple states
Federal forces discovered a tiger, black panther and lion, along with other animals, while raiding a property believed to be owned by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). In the raids across Hidalgo, Jalisco and Michoacán, 20 suspected cartel members were arrested.
Mexico's Security Cabinet stated that "a black panther, a tiger, a lion, cattle and pigs and 77 farm birds" were seized at a property in Jalisco, along with "113 vehicles, 10 firearms, magazines, cartridges, various doses of drugs, jewellery, cash, communication equipment, a drone and a drone jammer."
Omar García Harfuch, head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), described the raids as designed to "sustainably weaken the operational, logistical and financial capabilities of the cartels."
