Pahrump Man Learns Seven Tigers Are, In Fact, Too Many

In a turn of events that will surprise precisely no one with common sense, Nye County deputies spent the better part of a day wrangling seven tigers from the property of one Karl Mitchell, a local man with an apparent enthusiasm for testing the patience of both law enforcement and large carnivores.

The operation, which kicked off at the break of dawn, involved code enforcement, animal services, and—one assumes—several deputies questioning their life choices. Sheriff Joe McGill confirmed that Mitchell is now in custody, proving that wrestling with local ordinances is ill-advised–wrestling with deputies is even worse.

Mitchell, a longtime aficionado of keeping things with sharp teeth, has a history of legal entanglements over his tiger collection. His federal license to house these oversized housecats got revoked years ago, a decision that, in hindsight, seems quite reasonable. Nevertheless, in 2019, he won an appeal allowing him to keep the animals, presumably after convincing the Nye County Commission that seven tigers roaming the desert was a perfectly rational idea.

Recent efforts to remove the animals required sedation, a strategy applied liberally to the tigers and, perhaps, should have been considered for Mitchell long ago. Authorities estimate the process will take most of the day, as convincing a tiger to relocate is an undertaking that requires both patience and a distinct lack of fear.

As the tigers prepare for their new home at an undisclosed sanctuary, the good people of Pahrump can rest easy knowing that their odds of encountering a loose Bengal on their morning commute have significantly decreased. Meanwhile, Mitchell will have ample time to reflect on the fundamental lesson that, when it comes to pets, perhaps a nice goldfish would have sufficed.