Current:Home > MarketsWild caracal cat native to Africa and Asia found roaming Chicago suburb -Excel Wealth Summit
Wild caracal cat native to Africa and Asia found roaming Chicago suburb
View
Date:2025-04-12 13:06:20
After almost a week of roaming through the suburbs of Chicago, a large, wild cat native to parts of Africa and Asia has been captured.
Authorities cornered the caracal – a protected, endangered species of cat noted for the distinctive tufts a fur atop its long ears – under the deck of a home on Hoffman Estates, about 30 miles northwest of Chicago, on Tuesday.
According to Hoffman Estates police, the caracal was picked up by the Valley of the Kings animal sanctuary in Wisconsin, which specializes in rehabilitating large cats.
Caracal on the prowl
The caracal was first spotted on Friday near a local golf course and in suburban yards.
"The moment I saw it, I thought to myself, I have no idea what that is. It's not normal," Jan Hoffman-Rau, under whose home the caracal was captured, told ABC news in Chicago.
Where, exactly the caracal came from remains a mystery.
What is a caracal?
With their reddish, tan fur and distinctive, elongated ears, caracals range from Africa to the Arabian peninsula to parts of northwest India.
Despite their large size and "supremely acrobatic" nature, there are many states in which it is legal or in which there are no laws explicitly prohibiting caracal ownership, among them Illinois. A bill introduced into the Illinois General Assembly in April would make caracal ownership illegal, although no further actions have been taken.
In 2021, a Michigan woman who owned four caracals was ordered to give up ownership of the cats after they escaped from a backyard enclosure.
In 2019, in Bloomington, Illinois, the Associated Press reported that a caracal was killed after attacking a dog.
Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected].
veryGood! (169)
Related
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Why Emilia Clarke Feared She Would Get Fired From Game of Thrones After Having Brain Aneurysms
- 'Unbelievable': Oregon man's dog runs 4 miles for help after car crash
- Dick Van Dyke makes history with Emmys win – and reveals how he got the part that won
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- 4 US college instructors teaching at Chinese university attacked at a public park
- Sandy Hook shooting survivors to graduate with mixed emotions without 20 of their classmates
- Hayley Kiyoko Talks Self-Love, Pride, And Her Size-Inclusive Swimwear Collab With Kitty & Vibe
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Monday is the last day to sign up for $2 million Panera settlement: See if you qualify
Ranking
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Four Cornell College instructors stabbed while in China, suspect reportedly detained
- Mexico councilwoman who backed Claudia Sheinbaum's party shot dead outside her home
- $552 million Mega Millions jackpot claimed in Illinois; winner plans to support mom
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Lala Kent's Latest Digs at Ariana Madix Will Not Have Vanderpump Rules Fans Pumped
- Apple just made a big AI announcement. Here's what to know.
- Family of murdered Missouri couple looks to inmate's execution for 'satisfaction'
Recommendation
Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
Mexico’s tactic to cut immigration to the US: grind migrants down
Supreme Court seeks Biden administration's views in major climate change lawsuits
It Ends With Us’ Justin Baldoni Is “On the Mend” After Being Hospitalized With Infection
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
Federal agreement paves way for closer scrutiny of burgeoning AI industry
Dozens arrested in new pro-Palestinian protests at University of California, Los Angeles
Horoscopes Today, June 9, 2024