Endangered caracal wild cat spotted roaming in Chicago's northwest suburbs has been captured
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A wild cat that had been roaming the northwest suburbs for at least a few days is no longer on the prowl. Animal control officers captured the caracal in Hoffman Estates on Tuesday, after it was first spotted in a homeowner's backyard on Friday.
Cook County Animal Control officers surrounded and captured the wild caracal, who wasn't exactly pleased to see them.
"He did not like being in that cage," said Jan Hoffman-Rau, after the exotic cat was pulled from under her her patio deck Tuesday morning, following days of sightings in the Hoffman Estates neighborhood that rattled – and in some cases puzzled – neighbors.
"The cat came out wild. I mean, they had it in called a snare, or something, with a rope, and they had it by the neck, but when they dropped it in the cage it went crazy," Hoffman-Rau said.
A caracal is a rare find in Illinois, or just about anywhere in the United States. Caracals are native to Africa and Asia.
The wild cat was first spotted lurking in neighbors' backyards on Friday in Hoffman Estates.
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.
Officers with Cook County Animal Control and Hoffman Estates police took humane measures to capture the cat on Tuesday, as it is an internationally protected endangered species.
"They shot it with a tranquilizer gun, but the drug they used wasn't as potent enough to knock it out. It didn't get real groggy until it was in the cage for about 7-8 minutes," Hoffman-Rau said.
With this saga now over, and the cat now in animal control custody, police said they're investigating the origins of the animal, which is considered dangerous.
"We think it's somebody's pet, because it can't, it doesn't hunt very well," Sue Gerhardt said.
Under state law, whoever might have owned could face fines of up to $1,500 and even jail time.
As for Hoffman-Rau, she's glad it's now over. She said it's probably the biggest thing to happen in her neighborhood in a very long time.
"Honest to God, it was," she said.
The cat will be taken to Valley of the Kings Sanctuary and Retreat, a wildlife sanctuary in Wisconsin, where it will live out the rest of its years.
