INDUSTRY, Ill. _ After snacking on fried pretzels at the Lunch Box Cafe earlier this month, Jay Smith sat in the narrow shade of his patio and started scanning video footage on a laptop.
There they were again: the mysterious, wolflike creatures.
For several years, Smith has captured trail-cam footage of the curious canines that inhabit land he and his wife manage in a remote region sometimes known as Forgottonia, about 235 miles southwest of Chicago.
A farmer, musician and amateur naturalist, Smith is convinced they're wolves. If true, that would be a shocking natural phenomenon in an area where there hasn't been a verified wolf sighting for decades.
Experts are skeptical of Smith's conclusion, but they're intrigued enough to seek further study. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Chicago's Field Museum and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are collaborating to determine exactly where these animals fall in the biological family of canids, carnivorous mammals that include wolves, coyotes, foxes and domestic dogs. The Field Museum is conducting DNA tests on carcasses Smith has provided, with results expected in coming weeks.
Most experts say evidence so far suggests that the creatures could be coyotes, indigenous wild dogs, a coyote-dog mix or even a coyote-wolf hybrid. One researcher said it's possible they could be a species that has never been recorded.
Whatever they are, Smith's cameras have yielded enticing clues. He said he's captured 40 separate videos of the animals and at least 70 photos since he first strapped his trail cameras on trees and posts about five years ago.
Each new image thrills and stokes Smith, 57, who has lived in this town of 500 for about a decade.
"We basically have Grand Central Station for wolves here," Smith said, later adding: "Welcome to Wolfville, capital of Forgottonia."
