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.<\/p>\n
But what they actually discovered was less feline and more feathery.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It is unclear what caused the caller’s zoological mix-up.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>. Permits are exclusive<\/a> to zoos, shelters, research facilities or educational institutions.<\/p>\n The Big Cat Public Safety Act \u2014 a federal law enacted in 2022 \u2014 prevents unlicensed people from possessing, breeding and transporting big cats.<\/p>\n A man and woman were charged in 2022<\/a> after purchasing a jaguar cub and transporting it from Texas to California for commercial activity.<\/p>\n