Escaped serval wild cat dies after being captured in Chicago suburb
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An African wild cat died after it was captured on Saturday night in north suburban Vernon Hills.
Police said they received a report of a bobcat Saturday night in the Grosse Pointe neighborhood, but when they tracked down the animal, it turned out to be a serval, a wild cat native to Africa.
A 911 caller reported the cat chased and cornered a neighbor who was walking their dog nearby.
The cat had been domesticated and had escaped from its pen in the owner's yard and had been loose for nearly three hours. The owners were seen looking for the animal in the neighborhood.
The owners helped police capture the cat, but while they were taking it home, the serval died of injuries it had suffered after it was captured, according to Vernon Hills Police Deputy Chief Shannon Holubetz.
Officials from both the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Department of Agriculture say possession of servals is not illegal in the State of Illinois.