Woman fights to get 'Capone' the pet bobcat back
Capone the Bobcat (image courtesy GoFundMe)
SWANSEA, Ill. (AP) -- Illinois conservation police have seized a pet bobcat from a family in Swansea.
Lakesha Mayweather tells the Belleville News-Democrat reports that she received a permit to own a captive bobcat and that state officials renewed it. She paid $1,800 to a Missouri breeder for the declawed and neutered cat she calls Capone.
But IDNR seized the animal last month and ticketed Mayweather for unlawful possession of a dangerous animal and unlawful import of a dangerous species. It's a misdemeanor charge carrying a penalty of up to 30 days in jail.
IDNR spokesman Tim Schweizer says Capone an undisclosed wildlife rehabilitation center is caring for Capone.
The Mayweather family has an online petition calling for the return of the cat and a GoFundMe campaign for legal bills .