Smuggled jaguar cub was too hard to care for, so it was dumped at CA shelter, feds say

A smuggled jaguar cub was abandoned at an animal rescue shelter in California after two owners found it too difficult to care for, federal prosecutors said.

Now two people could face prison time if they’re convicted on charges of trafficking and transporting an endangered species.

Trisha Denise Meyer, 40, from Houston, first sold the jaguar cub for about $30,000 to Abdul Rahman, 34, from Murrieta, California, in 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a news release.

Meyer and Rahman were indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday, Oct. 5, on multiple charges, including interstate transportation of an endangered species in the course of commercial activity, trafficking prohibited wildlife species and trafficking endangered species.

Meyer was also charged with interstate sale of an endangered species.

Attorneys for Meyer and Rahman were not listed in online court documents as of Thursday, Oct. 6.

The jaguar was taken from Texas to California for an additional $1,000 fee for Rahman, prosecutors said in the release.

Rahman owned the jaguar for a month or two before selling it to a new person because he didn’t know how to take care of the animal and was “dissatisfied” with it, the complaint says.

The jaguar’s new owner bought the animal from Rahman for about $17,000, according to the complaint.

But the jaguar’s stay with this man and his pregnant wife was short-lived, prosecutors said.

A person who knew the man convinced him to get rid of the animal because they were concerned about a jaguar cub living in a home with a newborn baby, the complaint says.

This person and his roommate put the animal in a dog kennel and dropped it off at Lions, Tigers and Bears — an exotic animal rescue in Alpine, according to the complaint. Security cameras caught them dropping the animal off, the release states.

The abandoned jaguar was matched and tracked to Meyer through photos and videos she had posted on Instagram with the cub, court documents show. Rahman told investigators he bought the animal from Meyer, the complaint shows.

The jaguar is still at the animal rescue in California, the release states.

Meyer faces a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison and a $700,000 fine. Rahman faces a sentence of seven years in federal prison along with a $600,000 fine.

Rahman’s next court hearing is Nov. 9. Meyer has evaded authorities.

Alpine is about 30 miles northeast of San Diego.

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