Feline felony? Bobcat breaks into Washington prison
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MONROE, Wash. -- When officers at the Washington state prison at Monroe realized they were dealing with a break-in early Tuesday, they knew they needed some expert help.
So they called a veterinarian.
Lt. Jose Briones said a staffer spotted a bobcat about 2 a.m. Tuesday on the roof of the special offenders unit of the Monroe Corrections Complex. He said the animal must have climbed a fence or pushed in through some gap in the fence.
Prison officials called in Dr. Roger Hancock, a local veterinarian, who found the bobcat cornered on the rooftop.
Hancock used a tranquilizer gun to sedate the bobcat and get it off the roof. The animal will be treated and released from the Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital in Snohomish.
"Somewhere he'll be safe and away from the prison or people," Hancock said.
Hancock said the bobcat may have climbed to the roof after being startled by something.
"An animal like this is a good climber, so height is their defense," he said.
Briones said raccoons have been seen outside the fence before but he knows of no other animals breaking inside.
