An African serval cat that escaped from its Illinois home over the weekend has died from accidents it sustained after being recaptured in a Chicago suburb, police stated Monday.
Vernon Hills police initially urged warning over the weekend for a “potential bobcat sighting” after the division obtained a report of a bobcat within the Grosse Pointe neighborhood Saturday evening.
“Please watch your pets, particularly at evening,” the division wrote on social media.
Residents reported encountering the animal, with not less than one person saying it was “about as large as my 75-lb. [pit bull].”
Police stated they arrived and noticed the animal earlier than they “started monitoring it” and “making an attempt to establish its species.”
They contacted the Illinois Department of Natural Resources with a picture and consultants recognized the animal as a serval, a wild cat native to Africa.
A short while later, officers discovered the cat’s house owners, who had been out on the lookout for the misplaced animal.
“The proprietor was situated and assisted with its seize,” the division wrote on social media.
In complete the animal was on the free for practically three hours earlier than it was captured.
But Deputy Chief Shannon Holubetz, with the Vernon Hills Police Department, confirmed to NBC Chicago Monday morning, that the cat “died resulting from accidents sustained as its house owners tried to move it home.”
In a launch later Monday, police stated the house owners had been making an attempt to switch the cat from a automobile to its enclosure when it “sustained accidents” that in the end resulted in its demise.
“This is an unfortunate incident, and we extend our condolences to the animal’s owners for their loss,” Vernon Hills Police Chief Patrick L. Kreis stated in a press release. “The keeping of exotic pets in suburban environments, though, is not without risk. We are fortunate that no nearby residents or pets were injured by this naturally predatory animal.”
According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Department of Agriculture, possession of servals isn’t unlawful in Illinois, however the sale of such cats is banned.
“Vernon Hills officers have acknowledged they may assessment native laws on the maintaining of comparable animals to find out if adjustments are advisable shifting ahead,” police stated of their launch.
