Politics & Government

Reptiles Found in Area Homes: What's Allowed in LITH?

Recent headlines have highlighted the wild, and sometimes bizarre creatures, lurking in area homes.

Alligators living in the bathrooms of upscale neighborhoods.

Exotic reptiles held captive in basement pens.

This is the type of news making headlines recently and resulting in the arrests of some area residents. 

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With that in mind, Patch took a look at the Lake in the Hills municipal code to see what types of animals are allowed in the village. The municipal code prohibits any animal that instinctually bites to defend itself or is simply vicious by nature as a "pet" in the village. 

Specifically, the municipal code prohibits residents from owning alligators, as well as lions, tigers, leopards, mountain lions, wolves, coyotes or life-threatening snakes or reptiles.  

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It also bans farm animals such as “pigs, swine, sheep, chickens or other fowl, cattle, horses, goats or similar animals” unless the resident lives on a property zoned A-1 agricultural district.

The code extends to any naturally wild animal, except for birds or fish, regardless of whether the animal was bred for domestic purposes.

Lake in the Hills Police Chief Mary Frake said she doesn’t recall an incident in the village where police had to remove a dangerous wild animal like an alligator. However, about two years ago the  rejected one resident’s request to keep a spider monkey in his home, Frake said.

“The owner wasn’t trying to hide the monkey, but someone noticed it, and we had to investigate it,” Frake said. “I believe the monkey may have been sent to a zoo.”

Frake said the only time residents will see lions, tigers and bears within village , in which case the traveling exotic animal show, under village code, must obtain a special permit from the village's chief of police.

On Wednesday, Crystal Lake Police Department confiscated an alligator, a crocodilian reptile known as a caiman and a 12-foot-long snake from a home at 410 Linn Ave. after receiving an anonymous tip, according to a Northwest Herald article.

The animals belonged to Anthony E. Bonfiglio, according to the Northwest Herald. 

Bonfiglio had been keeping the animals in cages in his basement. The police called McHenry County Animal Control officers and Illinois State Conservation police for assistance, the Northwest Herald reported.

State Conservation police charged Bonfiglio with possession of a dangerous animal and possession of an endangered species, Karen O’Brien, a prosecutor with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office, told the NW Herald. 

Last week, the McHenry County Sheriff Department conducted a search of a Cary home to investigate an alleged cannabis-growing operation. During the search on Oct. 12, authorities discovered an approximately 5-foot-long alligator, according to a news release. 

The alligator, found at the home of Nicholas R. Cosmano, 26, 7203 Owl Way, was turned over to the McHenry County Animal Control Office for safekeeping and review of possible ordinance violations, according to the press release.

McHenry County code bans the ownership of exotic animals, as well.

Cosmano was charged with unlawful possession of cannabis with intent, unlawful possession of cannabis, unlawful manufacturing of cannabis sativa plants and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, the press release stated.

Cosmano’s bond was set at $25,000, and he is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 9.


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