A Wild Cat Native to Africa and Asia was Captured in a Chicago Suburb

Question

A wild cat native to Africa and parts of Asia has been captured after roaming around a Chicago suburb.

Answer 1

Yes, a endangered cat species called a caracal, native to Africa and Asia was discovered unharmed under a residents deck in Sharon, Wisconsin, a suburb 33 miles outside of Chicago after being spotted in the days prior. While it is unknown why the caracal was in the suburb in the first place, previous reports of caracals owned as pets throughout the midwest have popped up in the past few years. It can be inferred that for whatever reason, someone owned a caracal as a pet and let it out in the wild where it ended up in a random neighborhood outside of Chicago.

Most of the reports on this topic are very similar, but here are a few I found with extra details and an interview with the lady who reported the caracal in her yard.

https://abc7chicago.com/post/what-is-caracal-cat-exotic-animal-found-after-hoffman-estates-police-search/15431532/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/exotic-caracal-loose-chicago-suburbs-found-deck-home-rcna175641

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/endangered-caracal-hoffman-estates-wild-cat/

Comments

I think overall your response is conclusive and informative, if I had to nitpick one thing I would ask why you didn't inlcude the previous reports of caracals owned as pets. You claimed there were reports but did not include them. But overall a good factcheck.

Answer 2

It is true that a wild cat endemic to Africa and Asia, known as the caracal, was found on the streets of Chicago on October 15th, 2024. It has been reported by USA Today that the caracal was taken to an animal sanctuary in Wisconsin not long after that:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/10/16/chicago-caracal-cat-captured-hoffman-estates/75703241007/

Answer 3

According to the original article from AP news, there was a wild cat native to Africa and Asia that was found roaming around the Chicago Suburbs a week ago and was caught by authorities. This is true. According to USA Today, the cat was a Caracal; an endangered species, native to parts of Africa and Asia. It is currently unclear where the animal came from but after its capture it was taken to a Wisconsin animal sanctuary. Every article that I looked at said very similar things and directly supported the claim. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/10/16/chicago-caracal-cat-captured-hoffman-estates/75703241007/

Answer 4

Yes this is true as a link posted in the Associated Press article has the original CBS News Chicago affiliate with an interview with a woman named Jan Hoffman-Rau who found the cat in her backyard. A crucial is an endangered cat that is native to Asia and Africa and is very rare to find in the states and are only found in zoos and as pets. The caracal was captured by animal control and is off to facility in Wisconsin. I also found articles from USA Today and the Chicago Tribune verifying that article.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/10/16/chicago-caracal-cat-captured-hoffman-estates/75703241007/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/10/15/a-wild-cat-native-to-africa-and-asia-is-captured-in-a-chicago-suburb/