Why Tyga Has A Reputation For Treating Pets Terribly
Besides cranking out hit songs, rapper Tyga is also known for shrugging off his bills, including outstanding leases totaling $127,789.73, according to TMZ. But those bills aren't the only things allegedly being neglected. The "Rack City" rapper has also been accused of treating his pets terribly.
Back in 2015, while he was still dating reality star Kylie Jenner, the couple debuted a high-end puppy. According to Jenner's Snapchat (via People), the Merle English Bulldog, which the couple named Rolly, had a price tag of $50,000.
The tri-color wrinkly faced cutie was immediately welcomed into the Kardashian-Jenner clan. It was even spotted snuggling underneath the covers with models Kendall Jenner and Cara Delevingne, according to a photo posted to Delevingne's Instagram. It appeared that Rolly had won everyone's hearts, but just as quickly as the dog made its social media debut, Rolly seemed to suddenly fade from every video, post, and tweet.
Tyga and Jenner broke up for the final time in April 2017, but it appears they didn't have to fight over who would keep adorable little Rolly. The poor pooch had allegedly vanished from their lives prior to their split. Glamour magazine even commented on the pet's absence from the public eye in a September 2016 article: "Long story short, KyKy hasn't posted a photo or video of Rolly in forever, and it's giving us the night sweats." Fans grew worried sick when Rolly disappeared from view, and we may never get an answer on what really happened to the dog because at this point, Tyga has bigger felines to fry. And no, we're not talking about a furry little kitten. We're talking about a full-grown tiger!
According to the New York Daily News, Tyga reportedly wanted a big cat, so he reached out to a man who goes by the name of Nicholas "Nick the Wrangler" Lee Bishop. The feline fixer told investigators he "used a fake name and falsified documents" to purchase a Bengal tiger cub "at the request of Tyga" in 2014. Bishop reportedly drove to Indiana to pick up the animal from an organization and drove it back to his home in Nevada. He apparently knew it was illegal to transport the tiger to Tyga's home in California — where licenses are required to own exotic pets — so the rapper allegedly picked up the wild animal from Bishop in Nevada and drove it back to California, where it was housed in cages at the home he was renting. (We're willing to bet tiger ownership wasn't in the lease.)
Bishop reportedly told investigators that the rapper soon grew afraid that he was going to get caught with the illegal animal, so Tyga reportedly asked a friend to keep the cat at their Ventura, Calif. home. After neighbors reported to law enforcement that the tiger briefly escaped from the house, Bishop said the animal was transported to a home in Piru, Calif, and that's where law enforcement found the poor animal "confined to a dog crate in a backyard shed," reported the New York Daily News.
Bishop has reportedly dished out various versions of this debacle. According to court documents (via the New York Daily News), Bishop later "claimed that he had already been looking for a tiger, and that after he purchased one to keep as a pet, Tyga contacted him and offered him $30,000 to keep the tiger at Tyga's house for several weeks." The rapper claimed in May 2014 that he had no knowledge about the animal, but a series of since-deleted photos posted to his social media account (via the Daily Mail) reportedly tipped off the authorities. Bishop was arrested in 2017 on "federal charges he was involved in the illegal sale and transportation" of the tiger, according to the New York Daily News.
Sources told TMZ that after being questioned about the animal, Tyga allegedly admitted that he had turned the tiger over to a shelter. Law enforcement officials reportedly located the tiger at the shelter and "transferred it to a state facility for safekeeping" as the investigation continued. Insiders close to the situation told TMZ that Tyga supposedly took good care of his exotic pet while it was under his care and allegedly had no clue he was doing anything illegal by owning it. But that doesn't mean the rapper is off the hook.
According to TMZ, Tyga has been a "deadbeat dad" to his tiger cub. The Lions, Tigers & Bears rescue center in California that cares for the cat — now known as Maverick — told the tab in 2016 that Tyga hadn't even attempted to financially support the tiger. Expenses were reportedly racking up, including a grocery budget of about $10,000 a year, plus "vet costs, flea control and general maintenance."
Though this scandal suggests Tyga may treat his pets terribly, it's important to note that he has not been charged with any crimes related to these circumstances at the time of this writing. It's also worth mentioning that he's not the first celeb to take an interest in illegal pets.