French couple buy ₹5.18 lakh Savannah cat online, it turns to be a tiger cub

Paris: In their quest to get an exotic pet cat, a couple in France got more than they bargained for and got home a tiger cub! However, this got the police involved.

The couple from the port city of Le Havre, Normandy wanted to acquire a Savannah cat after coming across an online advertisement. The exotic feline pet, which is a cross between an exotic African serval and a domesticated cat, is legal to keep as a pet in France.

They paid a sum of 6,000 Euros to bring home the pet. However, after taking care of it for a week, they grew suspicious and called the cops. Later, the kitten turned out to be a Sumatran tiger cub, according to a report by 76actu.fr. “Before its purchase by the couple, the tiger had been seen in selfies in Elbeuf and even in a rap clip shot in Petit-Quevilly,” the report said.

According to a report by France Bleu, the incident sparked a two-year investigation that culminated this week with nine people being arrested. The couple who purchased the cat as was held, but were later released by cops.

For two years, investigators have been tracing the chain of this animal trafficking that brought the wildcat from Indonesia in France. The prosecutor in the case said it’s not very common occurrence.

According to AFP, the investigation entrusted to the Regional Intervention Group of the National Police and the Departmental Security has finally been completed and the rescued wild animal has been entrusted to the French Office for Biodiversity.