SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Exotic Feline Rescue Center has named the cougar captured in Springfield last fall.
The Center announced on their social media “Capone” is the winning name of the young male cougar captured in Springfield in October. Other names in the running included “Neil”, “Abe”, “Omaha”, “Little Buddy”, and “Springfield”.
Capone was originally tracked by a GPS collar put on by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in 2021. It was also spotted in McDonough and Cass County before being tranquilized by USDA officials so it could be safely relocated, as wildlife officials worried he was staying too long in the residential and business areas of Springfield.
Cougar sightings are rare in Illinois. There have only been eight confirmed sightings in the past 20 years according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
