video transcript

Chained and cramped - six tigers were found in rooftop cages in Thailand. The five males and one female are between nine months and nine years old. The apartment building's owner told authorities that two of the animals are registered with wildlife officials and the other tigers are offspring of the adults. But police refute the claim and are searching for the man who has since fled the location. SOUNDBITE: Lieutenant Colonel Attapon Supsai, Natural Resources and Environmental; Crime Suppression Division, Thai Police, saying (Thai): "We can't identify some of these (tigers). So we don't believe the claim that they (the young tigers) are offspring. Even if they are offspring, it's still illegal because there's no law that allows breeding tigers. This is not a zoo." Officials hope to seize the tigers and do tests to verify their origin. A 28-year-old man who was taking care of the big cats has been arrested.