North Texas sanctuary gets 2 white tigers housed illegally

WYLIE, Texas (AP) — Two white tigers housed illegally have been seized and placed in the care of a North Texas exotic animal sanctuary.

Officials at the In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Educational Center in Wylie say Texas state wildlife officials contacted the sanctuary about 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) northeast of Dallas after finding the tigers at an undisclosed location. Two bears also seized have been moved to a zoo in Gainesville.

The sanctuary’s founder and president, Vicky Keahey, says the tigers are joining 77 other cats at the shelter, are believed to be about 6 years old and have health issues, including bad eye problems.

She says the housing of tigers without proper permits is a serious problem in Texas, where she says there are more tigers than in the wild.