Large endangered cat found after Hoffman Estates police search | Video
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (WLS) -- A rare, endangered large cat was captured after being reported on the loose in the north suburbs.
Hoffman Estates police captured the caracal at a home after several days prowling the neighborhood near Hilldale Golf Club.
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"The moment I saw it, I thought to myself, I have no idea what that is. It's not normal," said homeowner Jan Hoffman-Rau.
Officers surrounded Hoffman-Rau's home just after 8 a.m. Tuesday after one of her neighbors spotted the feline on her back patio and called the police. The cat retreated under the deck as police closed in; officers eventually used a tranquilizer rifle to sedate the animal and then cage it.
The caracal was not harmed, police said.
"This is a first for us," said Deputy Chief James Thomas. "It's nice that the neighborhood doesn't have to worry about a cat, and everybody can walk their dogs and continue their daily life."
"It's pretty crazy," said neighbor Sam Darr.
It took nearly a dozen officers more than two hours to finally corner the felonious feline. Now it's headed to the Valley of the Kings Sanctuary and Retreat in Sharon, Wisconsin.
"It's a very young cat, I would say, probably eight months to a year old is all - so it has to be someone's pet that they had and let go. They're not pets," said Jill Carnegie, Valley of the Kings Sanctuary and Retreat.
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Carnegie said it's fortunate for neighbors and the caracal that it was caught.
"They can kill small child. They can kill your pets. They can kill your dogs. And usually, as they grow, and if they're if they're aggressive, people can't handle them, and so they dump them," she said.
