A Ford truck stolen from a parking lot near St-Hyacinthe, Que., has been recovered, but officials are still looking for a caged tiger and two camels, which were inside a trailer attached to the vehicle.

Jonas, the tiger, was in a cage in the trailer when it was stolen Friday morning.Jonas, the tiger, was in a cage in the trailer when it was stolen Friday morning. (Quebec provincial police)

The truck was found abandoned near a church in central Quebec, provincial police said early Saturday.

Police are worried the thieves left the trailer in an empty lot once they realized it contained the animals. The zoo handlers say the animals could die without fresh air, food and water.

The truck and trailer were stolen Friday from a motel parking lot 70 kilometres east of Montreal.

The animals were being transported from a touring circus in Nova Scotia to the Bowmanville Zoo, east of Toronto.

The trailer is metallic grey with Ontario licence plate E4398Y.