What In The World Is A Serval?

The African serval is a small, slender cat with long legs, a lean body, and a small head. Closer in size to our domestic cats than to its larger cousins, the serval is increasingly being bred for American pet tastes - both purebred and hybrid, but make no mistake - these are wild animals and not a suitable house pet. Their dietary and activity needs cannot be met in a domestic environment.

Serval, Felis Serval, Tanzania
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Rhett, Eve, Jules & Diva (Servals) - Private owner surrenders - Rhett was part of the same rescue as Bob the Bobcat - as he came from a humane society in Tennessee. He loves to stroll the high cat walks and platforms in his enclosure, and invites his roommate Eve to come out and play. Eve was owned by a family in Minnesota, who soon learned that Servals don't make good "pets." She was given to a local sanctuary that was too full to keep her, and ended up coming to RMWCC, where she'll stay as long as she lives. Jules was someone's pet in California, but like so many other servals, he started to become very temperamental with his owners, and began to mark his territory profusely. He ended up in a sanctuary in Arizona, but they couldn't keep him there - so we gladly accepted him. Shifted from owner to owner, Diva was driven to RMWCC from New York, where the couple who had her learned she didn't make a good "pet" either. Her teeth had been filed, and her claws removed, in an attempt to make her less dangerous (a sad mistake that humans make).

Latin name: Lepitailurus serval.

Habitat: Usually found near water. Reported habitats include savanna, open woodlands, bushland, forests, grasslands, marsh, sub-alpine and bamboo forests.

Range: Scattered populations throughout Africa except for the arid desert regions to the north around the Sahara, parts of the western tip of Southern Africa and certain parts of the tropical rainforest belt of Central Africa.

Lifespan: Known to live 18-20 years in captivity.

Portrait of a Serval Stan...
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Serval (Felis Serval)
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