Nevada man Karl Mitchell, 71, took the big cats out on walks and allowed members of the public to interact with them, videos he posted to social media show.

He insisted that he did not need permission to have the animals because they had been recognised by a local authority as his emotional support animals, KTLA reports.

Mitchell also claimed that he had rescued the tigers, who he said originally belonged to Joe Exotic, the subject of hit Netflix series Tiger King.

The tigers were removed from his home during a raid where Mitchell was arrested for allegedly resisting police and being a felon in possession of a gun.

The animals have been taken to a sanctuary ahead of Mitchell’s court appearance next month.