The Scary Problem of the Houston Tiger

Editor's Note: This post originally appeared on CNN.

The ongoing saga of a tiger found wandering in a Houston neighborhood Sunday, and the arrest of its apparent caretaker -- as the cat has gone missing -- has captivated America. Houston may be the last place you would expect to see a tiger roam, but private ownership and breeding of big cats is a Texas-sized problem in the United States. While tiger ownership is banned in Houston, it is legal in other parts of Texas.

Cuddly tiger cubs purchased from the exotic pet market, online and elsewhere, grow quickly into large and dangerous animals that few people are equipped to handle. Some are kept in cramped and insecure facilities posing a constant threat to their owners and the general public, while others may end up as body parts sold on the black market, thereby fueling the illegal wildlife trade that is driving...

Read the rest of this story on CNN.