Bates Fall 1998 Alumni Magazine: Die Hard IV?

Run over by two cars near a suburban shopping mall near Pittsfield, Mass., in late 1996, the bobcat pictured above suffered a shattered pelvis, broken canine teeth, and multiple cuts. According to newspaper reports, the bobcat was found unconscious by a motorist, who tossed him into the back of his pickup truck. The motorist then parked at the Berkshire Mall and went in to shop.

While the shopper was inside, the bobcat regained consciousness and jumped out of the truck. By the time the shopper returned to his vehicle, animal control officers were chasing the beast around the parking lot. They finally snared the cat with a noose.

Taken to the Tufts University wildlife clinic in Windsor, Mass., the bobcat was treated by a surgeon who worked on the pelvis with wire, plates, and a hip pin. Some shattered teeth were pulled, and a root canal was done. Having lost lots of blood, the bobcat received a transfusion from a domestic cat (oh, the indignity of it all).

Treated and allowed to heal in a 50-by-20-foot enclosure, the bobcat was released in May 1997. "He's just an incredible animal," said a veterinarian who treated the bobcat.

PHOTO: WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE / PAULA FERAZZI