Colorado Woman Puts Injured Bobcat in Car Next to Child

No one wants to see wildlife suffer, but you should use good sense when it comes to rendering aid to the animal. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) used Twitter to admonish a Colorado Springs woman who picked up an injured bobcat and put it in the back of her vehicle next to her young child. Fortunately for the child, the bobcat was too dazed to hurt him, but as CPW exclaimed in its Twitter post, "This could have been tragic."

According to CBS4 Denver, District Wildlife Manager Sarah Watson responded to a call last week from a woman who said she had picked up a bobcat that had likely been struck by a car. Watson met her and found the woman and her son, who she believed to be about 3 years old, standing outside their SUV.

Officer Watson opened the back door of the SUV and was shocked to see a live bobcat peeking from beneath a blanket, CPW officials stated.

Officer Watson ordered them to move behind her CPW truck and secured the very alert cat with a catchpole to put it in a large animal crate, officials said. The cat hissed and struggled and flashed its front claws.

Officials said the bobcat's rear legs were paralyzed from the collision, and it was humanely euthanized.

Watson spoke to CBS4 about the bobcat, which she said hissed and growled and swatted at her.

They can do quite a bit of damage. They're meant to bring down prey. A child of that size definitely wouldn't have been an issue, unfortunately. But luckily it didn't come to that, she said.

We understand there are animal lovers out there; we just want people to know when they do find an injured animal of any sort that's wildlife to give us a call."

Authorities are investigating the situation, and it's unclear so far if the woman might be cited for her actions.

It doesn't matter if it's a deer or a bobcat, it can pose a threat to you, Watson said.

The CPW is using Twitter to warn others not to make the same mistake.

See this bobcat? Notice its large teeth? Imagine the claws within its big paws. A #ColoradoSprings woman picked up this injured wild cat and put it in her car where her child was seated! NEVER PICK UP WILD ANIMALS. She was lucky. Please call @COParksWildlife and let us handle.

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