Escaped Wild Cat Dies After Being Captured in Chicago Suburb

An escaped African wild cat has died after it was captured in one of Chicago’s northern suburbs.

Police said that officers received a report Saturday about a bobcat spotted in Vernon Hills. The caller said that the cat had cornered a neighbor who had been walking her dog.

While police were trying to track down the cat, they discovered that it was a serval, a wild cat native to Africa, that had escaped from its owners’ yard, according to a press release posted to the Vernon Hills Police Department’s Facebook.

The domesticated serval had gotten out of its pen and had been on the loose for three hours while its owners were not home. The owners assisted police in capturing the serval, but officials said that the animal “sustained several injuries” and later died.

“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 said in a statement. “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.”

The department updated the caption of the post to state that police officers were not the cause of the animal’s injuries.

“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 animal was transported under the control of one of its owners in the rear of a police vehicle,” the department said in the post.

Police added, “The animal frantically attempted to defeat its capture and struggled for an extended time, likely causing injury. The end result was unfortunate.”

While the sale of servals is illegal in Illinois, keeping one is not. City officials said they will be reviewing local regulations to determine if possible changes may be made in the future.