Bison Escapes, Roams Free In Lake, McHenry Counties

LAKE AND MCHENRY COUNTIES, IL — Residents living in Lake and McHenry counties are being urged to keep an eye out for a bison that has been spotted out and about in recent days.

On Sunday, the Island Lake Police Department posted a video captured from an officer's squad car while driving on Darrell Road. The "beloved Island Lake bison" that has become "as elusive as Sasquatch himself" escaped in September while being corralled into an enclosure from a trailer, according to Island Lake police.

A suburban farm purchased the bison, Hector Matias, an Island Lake Police Department officer, told Patch.

"They had just acquired the bison, so it’s not familiar with the area. Our officers tried tracking it that day, but it entered the Golden Oaks Farm property. The farm owners were informed and sent some workers on ATVs to try to find it and were unable to," Matias said. "There’s way too much land to cover and a lot of rough terrain and fences, so it’s difficult to keep up with it. It’s still on the loose as far as we now."

The bison's owner filed a missing bison report with the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Reports of the bison out and about in Lake and McHenry counties have begun to resurface ever since the Island Lake Police Department shared the dashcam video of their bison sighting in recent days.

Police are concerned someone may hit the bison with their car, and they are urging caution while driving. But they are not especially worried the bison will not be able to live off the land in the area.

"This environment is ideal for a bison to survive," according to a post on the Island Lake Police Department Facebook page. "Plenty of food to graze on and lots of water sources. It might actually be happier now than it would be in captivity."

Residents are urged to pay close attention while driving, as the bison has been crossing busy roadways, and not to speed.

"Please drive carefully out there, folks and be aware that our friend the bison still roams free, living its best life. It lives, it laughs, it loves… be well, bison," according to the Island Lake Police Department Facebook post.

Unconfirmed Bison Reports

On Tuesday, social media posts began circulating regarding the bison making an appearance in Cary.

Those reports have not been confirmed by authorities, but residents on the Cary-Grove Chat Facebook page said they spotted the bison coming from a forest preserve and heading down East Main Street. One person reported the bison ran in front of her husband's car and was headed toward the Fox River.

Meanwhile, the Island Lake Police Department received an unofficial report of the bison crossing Route 176 and entering the property of a landscaping company in Wauconda on Monday night, heading in an easterly direction from Island Lake.

Either way, many on social media are rooting for the bison to continue on its trek and remain free and in the wild.

"He’s probably a lot happier roaming the land than being held (captive) at a local farm," one local resident wrote. "Maybe just let him live."