The ringtail cat, bassariscus astutus, is Arizona's state mammal. Early on Tuesday, July 6, he called the city of Loma Linda's animal control officer, Kathy Sorrells, who took it to San Bernardino's animal shelter for treatment of its serious wounds, bruises, and cut face, sustained during its attempted escape from the trap. It had broken two metal bars on the trap, and severely cut its face and nose trying to get out. No one knew what the animal was until Ms. Sorrells looked it up on the Internet, although there was some guessing that it could be a coati mundi. It is native to Arizona, where it lives a secluded, nocturnal life and is rarely seen.
Ringtails eat small rodents, insects, fruits, and berries.
A few have been found in Baja California, and this one could have come from Loma Linda's south hills or the San Timoteo Canyon area. Because ringtails are so rare here, however, Ms. Sorrells speculates that this one hitched a ride from Arizona in a recreational vehicle. It is definitely wild, she says, and not a domestic pet. Possibly from the construction site, says Mr. Yetter. Being a natural contortionist, the ringtail traveled through narrow walls and floor spaces.