Ming of Harlem

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Ming was a young tiger, perhaps no more than 2 years old, who lived in an apartment on the 5th floor of a large living complex in Harlem, New York in 2003.

His owner, Antoine Yates, was a “total animal lover” and Ming was only the latest of the pets that Yates had raised in his home from cubs. After starting with dogs and cats as a young boy, he had graduated to more exotic pets. In fact, at the same time that he was keeping Ming in one of his bedrooms, he was raising an alligator named “Al” in another bedroom (presumably with a large bathtub). It is still not clear how the two animals interacted.

The entire incredible tale became known and reported in many media (see the picture story in USA Today ^[1]) when Yates appeared at a nearby hospital emergency room with deep bite marks in his thigh. He claimed that his pet pit bull had bitten him, but the medical personnel were dubious, because the width of the bite marks suggested an animal with a very large jaw.

While Yates was being treated, a New York City policeman was sent to his home address to investigate. The officer heard loud growling noises through the door of the apartment, and decided on another tack. Another police officer was sent to the roof, from which he lowered himself on a rope sling to peer in through the apartment’s windows. He received the fright of his life when a tiger sprang at him, nearly breaking the window. An animal control team was then sent into the apartment, which anesthetized the tiger and also discovered the alligator.

Subsequent questioning of the neighbors determined that the existence of the tiger was a sort of urban legend: some people believed it lived there, while others had always doubted it. One fact that turned up was that Yates regularly bought large quantities of raw chicken at the local supermarket, and it was a standing joke in the building that he could eat so much chicken every day.

Authorities decided to move the animals to more appropriate quarters: Ming was sent to an animal farm in Ohio, while Al was given a new home in New Jersey. Antoine Yates was convicted of keeping dangerous animals in the city, and served a four month prison term.

When he came out, he sued New York City for the loss of his pets, including a brown bunny, and for $7000 cash which he claimed had also been in the apartment. A judge dismissed the case, calling him full of “chutzpah”, but also remarked, as reported on BBC ^[2], that it was a shame that no one had thought to interrogate either Ming or Al as to the last known whereabouts of the bunny.