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Nevada Man Arrested After Police Discover Seven “Emotional Support” Tigers Roaming His Property
Well… that’s one way to handle anxiety.
A 71-year-old man in Pahrump, Nevada found himself in a wild legal mess after authorities raided his home and found not one… not two… but seven tigers living there — all allegedly serving as his “emotional support animals.”
Karl Mitchell told police he didn’t need any permits because the big cats were helping him cope emotionally. (Unfortunately for him, the Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t exactly recognize tigers as valid emotional support animals… service hamsters? Maybe. Seven jungle cats? Not so much.)
Authorities say Mitchell didn’t just keep the tigers on his property — he was allegedly seen walking them around the neighborhood and out in the desert like some kind of Tiger King cosplay gone wrong.
Oh — and speaking of Tiger King — Mitchell claims he rescued his tigers from none other than Joe Exotic himself. Because of course he did.
When deputies showed up, Mitchell refused to hand over the keys to the tiger enclosures, which didn’t really help his case. Eventually, all seven tigers were seized and are now chillin’ in a wildlife sanctuary far away from Pahrump.
Mitchell was arrested for resisting a peace officer and illegal gun possession (he’s a convicted felon), but was released on $6,000 bail. Additional charges may be coming — especially after some of the tigers were reportedly found underweight and drinking from algae-filled water dishes.
Emotional support animals are totally fine… but maybe stick to something that won’t eat your neighbors.
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