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| A Bengal tiger that was seized in Ventura County |
A Florida man was arrested last week for his involvement in the illegal sale and transportation of a Bengal tiger that was seized from a residence in Ventura County, California. The perpetrator was identified as Nicholas Bishop, also known as "Nick the Wrangler," who currently lives in the city of Hallandale Beach but at the time of the crime he lived in Henderson, Nevada. According to a report by the Department of Justice, he was identified in a criminal accusation charging him with the federal felony violation of helping and condoning the purchase of the tiger. An affidavit in support of the complaint indicated that Bishop counterfeited documents used to purchase the tiger in March 2014 from an Indiana-based organization called Wildlife In Need, Wildlife Indeed. He stated that he had bought the animal for rap artist Tyga. Next month, the tiger was sighted in a backyard in the town of Piru and reported to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) which later found and seized the animal. It weighed about 100 pounds when it was found and now weighs well over 400 pounds. The two individuals possessing the tiger were convicted in state court. Bishop, on the other hand, was taken into custody on October 19. If convicted, he would be sentenced to five years in federal prison.
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| The tiger in the backyard of a Ventura County home from where it was seized |
The apprehension of Nicholas Bishop was one of several made as part of a law enforcement initiative titled Operation Jungle Book. The operation, whose prime objective is targeting wildlife smuggling, led to federal criminal charges against 16 defendants who purportedly aided in the illegal importation and/or transfer of several animal species. In addition to Bishop, other perpetrators included a man from Monterey Park, who pleaded guilty last month to smuggling king cobras that were illegally transported into the U.S after being concealed in potato chip cans shipped from Hong Kong. An Inglewood man pleaded guilty for smuggling five monitor lizards into the country, out of which two died while they were being transported. A man from Westminster pleaded guilty to smuggling an arowana and various turtle species, and an Orange County man was sentenced to one year in prison and additional six months of house arrest after pleading guilty to smuggling protected songbirds from Asia. Last month, prosecutors also acquired three allegations charging three individuals and two companies with participating in the illegal trading of protected live corals. The indictments for all of the defendants are set for early November.
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| Rescued tiger in dog crate |
The state of California has strict laws against the smuggling and possession of endangered and exotic species of animals from around the world. This was seen during a series of arrests made by Operation Jungle Book on alleged perpetrators accused of participating in smuggling of animals such as this tiger in southern California. This tiger was reportedly purchased for Tyga, a very prominent figure in the music and pop culture scene which indicates that the illegal smuggling of endangered species should be recognized as a significant threat to the general public just the way weapons and drugs are. Animals are often kept in residential areas like the one in Ventura County, where the tiger was confined in a backyard before being rescued. It was a disaster waiting to happen, especially when you have a 400-pound big cat that is capable of leaping nearly 30 feet in the air. Fortunately, there was no incident of this tiger attacking an innocent person or even escaping from the backyard but it could have been worse. This is why it is extremely crucial to address wildlife smuggling as an international threat to the general public as well as wildlife and take action against it. This includes establishing strict laws that outlaw any acts related to wildlife smuggling and penalties for such activities, educating the public about wildlife smuggling and how to help stop it, and setting up anti-wildlife smuggling operations in collaboration between conservation groups and the federal government. California may be one of the few states that has taken significant efforts to combat wildlife smuggling, but there are also other states where this illicit trade is probably not taken seriously. Therefore, it is highly crucial to take a step against the international wildlife smuggling and end it.
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