Chilapa de Alvarez, Mexico - Police called out to investigate strange noises coming from an abandoned house in south-western Mexico were shocked to find a caged tiger inside.

Officers called to the property in the town of Chilapa de Alvarez, in the state of Guerrero, found that the house was completely empty, with no evidence of anyone living there. But after hearing noises coming from one of the rooms for themselves, they broke in and discovered a female Bengal tiger locked in a cage in one of the rooms.

Investigators are now trying to work out how the tiger got there, but confess they are at a loss.

Police spokesman Leonidas Bueno Escamilla said: 'She didn't have any food or water on hand, but we don't think she could have been there for long because she was in good condition. The cage was much too small for an animal of this size, it's a complete mystery what the tiger was doing there.'

Officers managed to track down the owner of the house, but he denied any knowledge of the tiger.

They said whoever placed it there is not only facing a fine from the environment protection agency but also a legal case for keeping a dangerous animal without the proper safety and security measures in place.

Escamilla added: 'If a child or anyone else had wandered near the cage the tiger could easily have grabbed them and then the consequences could have been terrible. It has been taken to a zoo for the time being while attempts are made to trace the owner, we suspect it was probably an illegally owned tiger.'