A bison that has been on the loose since September after escaping from its owner in the Island Lake area was spotted by a police officer this week running across the roadway.
The Island Lake Police Department said one of their police officers spotted Island Lake’s “beloved bison,” calling the animal, “as elusive as Sasquatch himself.”
In a video published by the department on social media on Sunday, the bison was seen frolicking across Darrell Road just south of Case Road in unincorporated Wauconda at night.
“Apparently he wanted to remind everyone not to speed, pay attention to the road and not to text and drive. Had Officer Lane not been vigilant, had been speeding, or would’ve been distracted, he would have hit the bison and hurt himself and the bison,” the Island Lake Police Department said.
Authorities said the owner of the animal reported it missing to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in mid-September.
The bison was being corralled into an enclosure from a trailer when it managed to escape.
Police said that the owner accepts it as a loss but hopes it will return.
“However, it is a wild animal and in its natural habitat. This environment is ideal for a bison to survive. Plenty of food to graze on and lots of water sources. It might actually be happier now than it would be in captivity,” Island Lake police said.
The animal has been spotted numerous times by Wauconda and Island Lake residents, who have taken videos and photos and posted them on social media.
Police urge residents to drive carefully as the bison remains on the loose nearly two and a half months after it escaped.