Wild caracal cat native to Africa and Asia found roaming Chicago suburb

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 MHauptman@gannett.com.