Marengo, Illinois · McHenry County · Facts checked Oct 2026
Some of what's left of McHenry County's Big Woods has a Marengo address.
Marengo Ridge Conservation Area, at 2411 N. Route 23, protects the larger remaining blocks of the Big Woods, which once covered large parts of Marengo, Seneca, Dunham and Hartland townships.6 The City of Marengo's FAQ sends dog-tag questions to McHenry County Animal Control,1 the same county office that deals with wild animals, but only when they're sick, injured or a public-health threat.4
Who handles an animal problem in Marengo?
| What's happening | Who to call |
|---|---|
| Someone was bitten or scratched by a wild animal | Wash the wound with soap and water and see a doctor right away. The health department or animal control should also be told.8 |
| A bat is loose inside your home | If you woke up with it in the room, or it was near a child, keep the bat and call your doctor or the health department.8 In a 2016 notice, the county health department said not to touch it directly, to shut it into one room by closing the door, and to call animal control right away, (815) 459-6222.5 |
| A wild animal that is sick, injured or an immediate threat | McHenry County Animal Control, (815) 459-6222. These are the only wild animals its permits let it deal with, along with public-health cases such as exposure to a bat dwelling.4 |
| An emergency | Call 911. For police business that isn't an emergency, the city lists (815) 568-7231.1, 2 |
| A stray dog or cat, or a dog-tag question | McHenry County Animal Control houses stray animals for the county, and its officers pick up strays, (815) 459-6222.9 The city doesn't require its own dog tags; its FAQ says the county office handles them.1 Not a wildlife operator. |
| A calm animal living in your attic, walls, chimney or under the deck | McHenry County Animal Control can't disturb healthy wildlife, and it points people to a wildlife removal service for the jobs it isn't permitted to do.4 That can be this site's advertiser or anyone on the Illinois DNR list. |
The Wildlife Line isn't part of the City of Marengo or McHenry County.
Can you keep a wild animal you've caught?
Not inside city limits, as a rule. Marengo's code lists any naturally wild animal, other than birds or fish, as a prohibited animal, whether or not it was bred for domestic purposes.3 Section 93.05 says no one may stable, keep or maintain a prohibited animal in the city.3 The definition still allows them in zoos, performing animal exhibitions, educational institutions and veterinary hospitals, and Section 93.05 adds an exception for special permission granted by the City Council.3
What happened when a rabid bat turned up in Marengo?
In September 2016, a bat found outside a Marengo home tested positive for rabies.5 No human exposure was reported, but the county health department weighed a possible exposure to a puppy that had been playing with it.5 The homeowner handled the bat with a shovel and a plastic bag, with no direct contact.5 The department's notice gave this advice: if you find a bat outside and think a person or pet was exposed, or the bat is hurt, put an upside-down bucket over it if you can, then call animal control.5 It also noted that bats are a protected species.5
Which woods and streams lie near the city?
Marengo Ridge covers more than 818 acres of oak and hickory woods mixed with spruce, aspen, ash and sumac.6 Small seasonal streams cross its moraine and drain into the nearby Kishwaukee River.6 Coral Woods Conservation Area, at 7400 Somerset in Marengo, is built around century-old red and white oaks, and the conservation district counts it among the last McHenry County oak groves with 100 or more acres of continuous oak woodland.7 Great horned owls, screech owls and downy and hairy woodpeckers make their home in these woods, and the district says visitors are sure to glimpse deer.7 If you think an animal has moved in under your own roof, the pages on a raccoon in the chimney, squirrels in the attic and bats in the house describe the signs each one leaves.
What are you hearing?
When there's a noise but no animal in sight, the attic-noise page lists the likely suspects. County animal control keeps hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays,9 and after-hours help covers what to do outside them.
Sources for this page
- City of Marengo, City Information and FAQ. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- City of Marengo, Police. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- City of Marengo, Know if I can have chickens (quotes Marengo Code Sections 93.01 and 93.05). Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- McHenry County Department of Health, Animal Control, Wildlife. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- McHenry County Department of Health, Rabid Bat Reported in Marengo, Sept. 19, 2016. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- McHenry County Conservation District, Marengo Ridge Conservation Area. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- McHenry County Conservation District, Coral Woods Conservation Area. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Illinois Department of Public Health, Rabies (animal bites; bats in a sleeping area). Checked Oct 2026.
- McHenry County Department of Health, Veterinary Public Health Division (Animal Control). Checked Oct 22, 2026.
Written and checked by The Wildlife Line. Spot an error? Tell us through the About page.
Also: McHenry County · Hampshire · Woodstock · Huntley