Mexican border smugglers try to bring a baby TIGER into the US inside a bag
The heavily-sedated cub was found stuffed inside a duffel bag which was abandoned by a group of Mexicans attempting to cross into the US illegally
BORDER patrol officers were left stunned after discovering a live baby tiger inside an abandoned bag on the US-Mexico border.
Officials say the cub had been sedated and was lucky to be alive after being stuffed into a holdall.
According to Fox 8, the baby tiger was discovered after a suspicious bag was spotted along America's border with Mexico.
Border patrol officers stumbled across the abandoned black duffel bag on Monday and were left horrified by its contents.
While people trafficking and drug smuggling are rife along the US-Mexico border, animal smuggling is rare.
According to Fox 8, the agents saw three people attempting to enter the United States illegally, through Brownsville, Texas.
When they were spotted, the men dropped the bag and apparently fled back to Mexico.
When agents approached the bag and carefully opened it, they were shocked to find the unconscious male tiger cub stuffed inside.
The cub was turned over to the Gladys Porter Zoo where veterinary doctors fought to save his life.
In a Facebook post alongside a picture of the now healthy cub, the Gladys Porter Zoo said: "The tiger cub found in a duffel bag at the border is under the care of our veterinary staff.
“Despite him being brought to us in a critical condition, our veterinary team acted quickly to stabilize him and he is now doing very well.
“He is thought to be around 2 months of age.
“The way he responds to humans leads us to believe that he has been hand-raised up until this point.
“The next step will be to find him a more permanent home."
The discovery comes just weeks after President Trump ordered the deployment of National Guard troops along the Mexican border.
The Trump administration claimed to be working with the governors of the four southwestern US states along the border to deploy the Guard, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
She added that the troops would not be involved in law enforcement.
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The Guard will most likely help US Customs and Border Protection personnel to stop illegal immigrants from entering the country.
In response, the Mexican government told the United States that “if the announced deployment of the National Guard turned into a militarisation of the border, it would gravely damage the bilateral relationship.”
Plans to deploy the National Guard come after Trump failed to persuade both the Mexican Government and the US Congress to fully fund his plans for a wall along the border.
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