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A tiger — no, a bobcat — returns to the wild after being hit by car

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A man called Riverside County animal control officers early Sunday to report “hitting a tiger” with his car.

The animal turned out to be a young bobcat.

About 2 a.m. Sunday, the man struck an 8-month-old male bobcat on La Sierra Avenue in Riverside, a residential, tree-lined street that sees its fair share of coyotes and other wildlife, said John Welsh, a spokesman for the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

When animal control officers arrived, they found the dazed bobcat hiding near one of the vehicle’s front wheels, Welsh said.

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Officers wielding a catch pole captured the animal and rushed it to the Animal Emergency Clinic in Grand Terrace. The bobcat appeared to have suffered a concussion and a few scrapes but was otherwise fine, officials said.

By late Sunday, the bobcat “showed a lot of spunk,” Welsh said. After consulting with veterinarians, animal control officers released the bobcat into a rural area a few miles from where he had been captured.

The bobcat “had a lot of life in it,” Welsh said. “It just took off. It bolted.”

Welsh said the Riverside County Department of Animal Services deals with two or three bobcats a year.

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hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson

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