The California Highway Patrol responded to a call this week of a possible baby tiger stranded on the side of a highway in San Luis Obispo County.
But what they actually discovered was less feline and more feathery.
The supposed cub was spotted along a remote stretch of Highway 166, which connects the Central Coast to the southern San Joaquin Valley, according to a CHP traffic log. A driver passing through the area Thursday afternoon reported what appeared to be a baby tiger on the roadside.
A CHP officer sent to investigate the incident stumbled instead upon a dead hawk, not a tiger cub. The California Department of Transportation, which is responsible for removing dead animals from state highways, was notified about the deceased bird.
It is unclear what caused the caller’s zoological mix-up.
Owning exotic animals like tigers is prohibited under California law, as they pose a threat to public safety and native wildlife, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Permits are exclusive to zoos, shelters, research facilities or educational institutions.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act — a federal law enacted in 2022 — prevents unlicensed people from possessing, breeding and transporting big cats.
A man and woman were charged in 2022 after purchasing a jaguar cub and transporting it from Texas to California for commercial activity.
