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Bobcat Returned Back To Wild After Being Hit By Car In Riverside

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — Officials with Riverside County Animal Services said a bobcat that was hit by a car early Sunday was treated and returned to the wild.

A motorist had reported "hitting a tiger" with his car around 2 a.m.

Animal control officers Cecelia Morris and Tiffany Fuller were dispatched to the scene --  La Sierra Avenue in Riverside, near Victoria Avenue.

After looking under the man's car, they found a bobcat hiding near one of the front wheels.

The officers said the animal appeared to be dazed and confused. They were able to capture the large cat with a catch pole.

The bobcat, a young male about 8 months old, apparently suffered a concussion.

A vet at the Animal Emergency Clinic in Grand Terrace said the cat had visible abrasions to his head and body but no broken bones.

Officer Fuller also had been in touch with The Living Desert, a Coachella Valley-based nonprofit organization that specializes in rehabbing wildlife.

The vet, Living Desert and veterinary professionals at Riverside County's main shelter in Jurupa Valley all reached the consensus to release the cat back into the wild.

The bobcat was released in a rural location near La Sierra Avenue and El Sobrante Road, a spot less than four miles from where the cat was first found.

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