Endangered caracal wild cat spotted roaming in Chicago's northwest suburbs
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A caracal is something you might expect to see on a safari in central or southern Africa, not in Chicago's northwest suburbs.
But Hoffman Estates police said one of the exotic cats has been roaming around the village, and they're trying to catch it. The caracal has become the talk of the town.
The caracal was sighted late last week in Hoffman Estates, not only rattling a couple of neighbors, but prompting police to get involved.
Jan Hoffman-Rau said she was flabbergasted when she spotted the wild cat hanging out in her backyard on Friday morning.
"I thought, 'What in the hell is that?' Seriously," she said.
She immediately took out her phone and snapped a few photos, thinking no one would believe what she saw.
"Then it starts coming up on my deck, jumped on my deck, actually looked at me through the window," she said.
The animal was later identified as a caracal, a wild cat native to Africa and Asia – known for its agility and speed, but not so much for lurking in backyards in Illinois or anywhere in the U.S.
"It's a wild animal. I'm afraid it's not gonna survive out here," Sue Gerhardt said.
That concern has led the Hoffman Estates Police Department to issue a warning to residents who might come into contact with the wild cat.
The village has been working with local and federal agencies to find and properly remove the caracal, which is an internationally protected endangered species.
While the goal is to safely relocate it to a zoo or wildlife facility, the question many in the neighborhood still have is how did it get here in the first place?
"We think it's somebody's pet, because it can't … doesn't hunt very well," Gerhardt said.
"I think – and so does the Cook County Animal Control think – that is somebody's illegal pet," Hoffman-Rau said.
If that's the case, under Illinois state law, possessing an illegal caracal could land its owner in jail, along with a fine of up to $1,500.
While many have their theories, it's still unclear how the animal got to Hoffman Estates.
Those who see it are urged to contact police immediately.