Mystery Cat Lurks Near Illinois Border With Missouri

No one can identify the animal that’s been lurking around a southwest Illinois city.

Residents of Monroe County, located on the border of Illinois and Missouri, are pondering which animal they’ve spotted on surveillance cameras overnight. Even Monroe County sheriff’s deputies and the Department of Natural Resources can’t seem to pinpoint what the animal is, St. Louis-based KSDK reports.

Portia Oberkfell and Jennifer Kreps are two neighbors who have seen the mystery creature. Kreps posted about it on social media and it took off with 30- to 40,000 shares, she told the station. "If you see animal obviously don't approach it,” Major Chris Lutz urged residents via KSDK. “We really can't do anything about it, but contact DNR if it resurfaces.”

Some Facebook users have noted that it’s not the first time a wild animal sighting happened in the area, and Illinois and Missouri certainly wouldn’t be alone. A Georgia homeowner recently found that a curious bobcat knocked her Ring doorbell several feet away from her home (while an opossum watched). Residents of other states — including Minnesota — tell tales of bear encounters. Even a rhino broke free from its enclosure at a Nebraska zoo earlier this month. Whatever was spotted in Illinois, neighbors say they hope it’s on its way out of town.