A wild cat native to Africa and parts of Asia has been captured after roaming around a Chicago suburb
Wild African Cat Captured in Chicago Suburb
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (AP) — A wild caracal, a species native to Africa and parts of Asia, was safely captured after wandering through a Chicago suburb.
Using a specialized lasso pole, authorities managed to restrain and cage the cat on Tuesday. It had been hiding beneath a deck at a home in Hoffman Estates, approximately 33 miles northwest of Chicago.
The caracal was first sighted in the area about a week ago.
A Wisconsin-based animal sanctuary is set to provide the unharmed caracal with a safe and fulfilling life, far from its unexpected suburban adventure, local police shared.
Jan Hoffman-Rau, a resident of Hoffman Estates, told WBBM-TV that she had snapped photos of the elusive cat in her yard on Friday morning.
“It then came onto my deck, leaped up, and even stared at me through the window,” Hoffman-Rau recalled.
Caracals are native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and India. Their typical prey includes small mammals, birds, and rodents. How the caracal ended up loose in the Chicago suburb remains a mystery.
Similar incidents have occurred in the past. In 2021, a woman in suburban Detroit was fined and had to rehome her four African caracals after one escaped. In another case, a caracal in Bloomington, Illinois, was shot by police in 2019 after it attacked two people and a dog. The animal was acting erratically and approaching police and bystanders before the fatal shooting.