The owner of a tiger spotted in a Texas neighborhood was arrested Monday, but the animal is still on the loose. The 26-year-old owner, Victor Hugo Cuevas, was charged with evading arrest, TODAY reported.  

Apparently there’s a tiger loose on my parents’ West Houston street? pic.twitter.com/TgdIiPSPKx

— robwormald (@robwormald) May 10, 2021

According to police, Cuevas placed the tiger in an SUV and drove away when officers arrived to respond to reports of the animal roaming the streets. It is illegal to own a wild animal in Houston, but it is allowed in surrounding areas in Harris County. Private owners must meet requirements, including registering it with animal control, properly caging it and keeping it at least 1,000 feet away from a school, child care facility or residential home.  

This is not the first time a tiger on the loose was reported in Texas. In February, a woman in San Antonio reported a tiger on the loose after it jumped the fence of a residential home. The owner of the home said he borrowed the tiger from a friend to show his family, NEWS 4 SA reported.  

In 2019, a tiger named Loki was found abandoned in a cage in the Houston area. That tiger has since been relocated to an animal sanctuary, TODAY reported. 

RELATED: Tiger at NYC’s Bronx Zoo tests positive for coronavirus  

Carole Baskin, founder of Big Cat Rescue and star of Netflix documentary “Tiger King” is now offering a $5,000 reward for the feline. She joined BNC to discuss why people should refrain from owning the “predators” as pets.

“These are not pets. These are apex predators that will kill you if they get half a chance.” Carole Baskin of @BigCatRescue speaks on owning exotic animals as pets following the news of a tiger on the loose in Texas with BNC’s @LaverneMcGeeTV , on #BNCLive. pic.twitter.com/nZqjwRFUkf

— BNC (@BNCNews) May 13, 2021