After nearly a week of roaming around Chicago’s suburbs, a large, wild cat native to Africa and Asia has finally been caught.

Law enforcement officials managed to corner the caracal—a protected and endangered species known for its unique ear tufts—under a deck at a residence in Hoffman Estates, situated about 30 miles northwest of Chicago, on Tuesday.

According to police from Hoffman Estates, the caracal has been taken in by the Valley of the Kings animal sanctuary in Wisconsin, which focuses on rehabilitating large cats.

Caracal Spotted

The caracal was first sighted near a local golf course and in various suburban backyards on Friday.

“When I first saw it, I thought, I have no idea what that is. It’s definitely not something you see every day,” said Jan Hoffman-Rau, the homeowner where the caracal was trapped, during an interview with ABC News in Chicago.

The origins of the caracal remain uncertain.

All About the Caracal

Caracals, with their reddish-tan fur and long ears, are found in regions stretching from Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and parts of northwestern India.

While these cats are sizable and highly agile, many states—including Illinois—have no specific laws against owning a caracal. A bill proposed in April seeks to ban caracal ownership in Illinois, but there has been no movement on it yet.

In 2021, a woman in Michigan was ordered to surrender her four caracals after they escaped from her backyard.

Previously, in 2019, the Associated Press reported that a caracal in Bloomington, Illinois, was shot and killed after it attacked a dog.