A malnourished Siberian tiger cub has been rescued after it was found being held captive in a plastic dog kennel outside a restaurant in Mexico. Siberian tigers, which are native to east Russia and north-east China, are considered endangered according to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

This tiger cub, which is only about 4-5 months old, was being kept as an attraction by the owner of the restaurant. When the cub was not displayed for the public inside the eatery, he was kept chained outside the restaurant. At night, the cub was relegated to a plastic dog kennel outside the restaurant.

The  Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) confiscated the cub after receiving reports that the unlicensed restaurant owner was unlawfully keeping the wild animal in his premises.

Profepa found that the poor cub was suffering from hypocalcaemia or calcium deficiency. The authorities arranged for professionals to provide the cub with medical treatment before transferring it to the Unit for Animal Handling (UMA) for expert care.