After wild cat’s escape, police want to tighten town’s animal control rules

For nearly three hours on the night of Nov. 18, Vernon Hills police dealt with an unusual circumstance that rarely if ever had been encountered in town.

Initially reported as a bobcat sighting, police eventually learned a serval cat native to Africa was on the loose in the Grosse Pointe neighborhood – a potential danger to the public and a conundrum for responding officers.

“When I saw this animal I was absolutely intimidated by it,” Sgt. Courtney Blaul said of the serval cat, which weighed 35 to 40 pounds and stood waist high. “It was very large and it had very long fangs and it was hissing at us.”

Blaul recounted the encounter last week as part of Police Chief Patrick Kreis' report to the village board. Kreis said the events of that night are reason to revise local rules regarding animals.

“That matter caused us to reflect on the status of the village code and Illinois law,” he said. “What we're looking to do is tighten up the code in terms of defining what a wild animal is and creating prohibitions on keeping a wild animal.

“This really stems from something that we were unaware of until it became a real problem and a dangerous problem,” Kreis added.

State law prohibits people from selling, trading tor breeding serval cats, but not from owning one. Neither does village code, though that will change when an updated animal control ordinance is presented in January for village board approval.

The intent is not to prohibit residents from owning exotic pets, like reptiles, amphibians or snakes, Kreis said.

“It is specifically trying to deal with things that are vicious, poisonous or otherwise a risk if they get out,” he said.

The serval cat that got loose Nov. 18 chased and cornered a resident walking a dog, but they escaped unharmed. It also was aggressive toward police officers and personnel from the Lake County Animal Care and Control, who tried to capture the animal without success.

It finally was caught by its owners, who lived nearby and were out looking for the escaped cat. Police later said the cat apparently escaped from the owners’ yard while they were away.

The cat, which Kreis described as “very panicked, very freaked out,” died after its capture. He said the animal's death was unfortunate but not the result of any overt actions by police.

Kreis said the situation could have resulted in police having to kill the animal.

“I'm really relieved we didn't have to do that,” he said. “I think we all agree that was a bad outcome. My concern is the outcome could have been worse than that.”

Village attorney James Ferolo said the revised rules will specifically prohibit certain animals. A determination would be made regarding other animals not listed in the rules if a complaint is received.

Village Trustee Thom Koch Jr., said it was a no-win circumstance.

“This is one of those situations you'll be criticized any way you go,” he said. “It's better for us to try to prevent this in advance.”

Animal Care and Control regularly responds to concerns related to injured or orphaned wildlife and wildlife trapped or confined in homes, according to spokeswoman Emily Young.

However, the county health department doesn’t have any ordinances regulating ownership of exotic animals. That falls to Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

“One local concern is that exotic animals are easily acquired at swap meets throughout the state with little to no oversight on that acquisition,” Young said.

“Sellers are not required to report where the exotic animal will be living nor are they required to determine if that animal is legally allowed in the jurisdiction it will be living,” she added.