Police are disputing hypothesis and say they didn’t trigger the loss of life of an escaped African serval cat who was injured after being transported in a police automotive following its seize in Vernon Hills.
The Vernon Hills Police Department responded round 7:16 p.m. final Saturday to the Grosse Pointe subdivision for a report of a bobcat on the free.
Vernon Hills Deputy Police Chief Shannon Holubetz mentioned a 911 caller reported that the animal had chased and cornered a resident who had been walking her canine within the space.
Officers arrived and noticed the cat. They started monitoring the animal whereas making an attempt to establish its species.
{A photograph} was taken and despatched to personnel from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Holubetz mentioned.
The IDNR recognized the animal as a serval, which is a wild cat species native to Africa.
“Please take this seriously, folks. My neighbor and I were out walking our dogs and encountered it. It was about as big as my 75-lb. pitty and was seriously stalking the dogs. It was not afraid of us; it got within a few feet,” one resident mentioned after police issued a social media alert to residents in regards to the animal.
“I thought for sure it was going to attack the dogs. We are safe because we started yelling and some good-hearted neighbors let us into their homes, then called VHPD (thank you for your swift response, VHPD!) I am feeling very grateful (and shaken) tonight,” the resident added.
Officers situated the cat’s house owners a short while later. They have been out within the neighborhood on the lookout for the escaped animal, Holubetz mentioned.
The house owners assisted within the serval’s seize and managed the animal because it was being transported to their close by home.
As the house owners tried to switch the cat from a automobile to its enclosure, the serval sustained accidents and the animal died, Holubetz mentioned.
“Several have speculated that police personnel injured or contributed to the animal’s death, but that speculation is not correct,” police officers mentioned in an update earlier this week.
“This was a stressed and agitated animal that proved extremely difficult to control. Due to this fact, the serval was only handled by its owners, and no police personnel were physically involved in its capture or handling,” the division mentioned.
The animal was transported below the management of one in every of its house owners within the rear of a police automobile.
The cat “franticly attempted to defeat its capture” and struggled for an prolonged time, which probably brought on damage, police mentioned.
“The end result was unfortunate. We express our sympathy to the serval’s owners for their loss of a pet. We will be reviewing potential regulations moving forward to determine if modifications are advisable,” the police division mentioned.
Officers discovered from the house owners that the cat probably escaped its pen whereas the house owners have been away from home. The serval was free for almost three hours.
“This is an unfortunate incident, and we extend our condolences to the animal’s owners for their loss,” Vernon Hills Police Chief Patrick Kreis mentioned.
“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,” Kreis mentioned.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Department of Agriculture confirmed the possession of servals is just not unlawful in Illinois however the sale of servals is prohibited, Holubetz mentioned.
Vernon Hills officers mentioned they are going to overview native rules on the holding of comparable animals to find out if modifications are beneficial transferring ahead.
