In April of 2018, border patrol agent Marshall Maynard was working in Brownsville, Texas near the Rio Grande when he came upon three people trying to enter the United States illegally. He noticed that they were carrying a black duffel bag, which they dropped on the ground and left behind as they fled.

When Marshall approached the bag and unzipped it, he was stunned to find a 3-month-old tiger cub curled up inside, alive but motionless and likely sedated. He rushed the tiger cub to the hospital, where vets said that he was “on death’s doorstep” and had a temperature of 107 degrees. Had he been in the bag for thirty more minutes, he likely would have died.

Once he recovered, the tiger cub was taken to Gladys Porter Zoo, where he has since regained his health and grown to 70 pounds. These days, the cub is a popular animal at the zoo, where he is known for his playful and outgoing personality.

Senior veterinarian Thomas DeMaar said that zookeepers at the facility have been using the tiger’s story to educate visitors about wildlife trafficking and how these wild animals should not be pets.

“Sometimes, people don’t even know that these things are prohibited or that they have a serious effect on wildlife conservation. These animals are being extracted from their natural habitat and put in as commercial entity,” DeMaar said.

It has since been announced that the tiger will soon be leaving the zoo and will be transported to an animal sanctuary in Wylie, Texas that focuses on caring for big cats. We wish the tiger the best of luck there! Find out more about his story in the video below.