Servals are Not Pets
73 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Believe That Lying Serval Breeder
1. Almost no one ever keeps their "pet" serval after it reaches 1.5 - 5 years of age because they pee constantly, on everything, to mark their territory. This is not about house breaking; it's 1000s of years of instinct to mark everything as your own.
2. There are no approved vaccines for use in exotic cats and thus no way to protect the cats or those who come in contact with them.
3. Even the "tamest" servals hiss all the time and no one wants a pet that hates them.
4. Servals hunt fish by slapping them hard enough to knock them senseless. They have a lightning fast and powerful slap that can put out an eye or cause other real damage.
5. Servals are the best hunters of all of the exotic cat species; making a kill about 90% of all attempts. Compare that to a tiger who achieves only a 10% success rate. A loose serval is a real threat to the environment and pets.
6. Servals are escape artists. What government agency has so much surplus funding that they can spend their time tracking down and killing or recovering lost, dangerous "pet" servals?
The following are the next 72 reasons:
Mar. 9, 2023 OH: The serval was kept as a pet and escaped from his owner's car during a police stop in January and that's when Cincinnati Hamilton County Dog Wardens (a division of Cincinnati Animal Care) got calls about what was thought to be a leopard spotted up in a tree. Responders were able to retrieve Amiry and bring him back to the shelter, where the medical team called in an expert (whose credentials include working on the "Tiger King" case and the Zanesville tragedy) to identify his species. The expert suspected Amiry was actually a serval, a long-legged, big-eared wild cat that is native to sub-Saharan Africa and illegal to own in Ohio. To confirm that, the medical team took a DNA sample — and also tested him for narcotics. "Amiry tested positive for exposure to cocaine and the DNA test concluded he was indeed a serval," Anderson wrote.
July 28, 2022 Kentucky: Sara Craig, the owner of Boone Hill Savannahs posted on Facebook that Tafari the serval escaped and is missing from Boone Hill Rd in Benton between Sharp and Palma. As of 8/18/2022 he was still missing and had not been sighted in a while.
June 28, 2022 Cleveland, OH: An African Serval was seen on Cleveland’s east side around East 37th and Cedar where neighbors are on the lookout. A Cleveland Police spokeswoman told Scene that Animal Care & Control (ACC) spoke with a caller, who said they sometimes saw the cat on a leash being walked by its owner. They claimed it was just a large domestic cat. On the contrary, experts agree that it is an illegally held Serval and not a legal hybrid. The Ohio Dept. of Ag was notified by Carole Baskin as to the true identity of the cat.
May 18, 2022 Canada: An African serval was returned to his owner near Granville Street and 20th Avenue in a Vancouver neighborhood of British Columbia after wandering the streets for a while.
Jan 11, 2022 MA: An African serval was discovered by a homeowner in Lincoln last week and has been receiving treatment at the MSPCA. But the organization says the animal, who they have dubbed Bruno, needs surgery to amputate one of his hind legs, which is severely damaged. It’s not known how long Bruno was wandering outside. When he arrived at the MSPCA, X-rays revealed two breaks in his back leg that are months old, likely from being hit by a car.
Sept 9, 2021 CA: The escaped "serval had eaten one of his chickens. It has since come back three more times. Clark posted about it on the Nextdoor app, to share with their community. Soon, others started sharing their sightings throughout other parts of Olivenhain and Encinitas."
April 19, 2021 Felida, WA: A firefighter was bitten by an African serval while responding to a house fire in the Felida area of Clark County. The fire was contained in 25 minutes and there were no injuries from the fire reported. However, in addition to the first responders called to deal with the fire, animal control was called to manage the serval, who was also unarmed but shaken. (I think they meant unharmed :-) )
Sept. 20, 2020 NH: Spartacus, a 4-year-old, 40-pound African serval, was found Saturday morning near its home. The cat had been trapped, according to the Merrimack Police Department.
Mar. 3, 2020 CA: A Hollywood video shows a serval, which is native to Africa, attempting to escape from an animal control officer who caught the cat after he had been on the prowl for a day or so. It is illegal to own a serval in California without a special permit. Los Angeles Animal Services is working to determine if the cat has an owner.
June 21, 2019 NC: Rocky, an escaped African serval was spotted this week on a farm in southeast Virginia, about 160 miles from the North Carolina home he fled in October.
June 27-28, 2018: A serval was filmed slinking around the 700 block of S. Florida Av in Tarpon Springs, FL on June 27 and recaptured the next day.
May 1, 2018 Pelham, AL: A serval went missing when he bolted from the front door of Felicia Wilson's home.
Nov. 8, 2017 PA: An African Serval was found wandering the streets of Berk Co., PA. "We have had everything from monkeys to Nile crocodiles to, you know, mountain lions," said Tom Hubric, the ARL's interim executive director. "We've had some crazy calls over the years, so our staff really never knows what they're going to walk into. We did check with [the Pennsylvania] Fish and Game [Commission]," Hubric said. "There is nobody in Berks County that has a current license to own an African serval, and we assume that's the reason why nobody came looking for her."
Sep. 16, 2017 Kelso, MO: A serval owner named Amy Grubb-Klingeman posted on Facebook; (Bella) has gotten off her harness. She's an African Serval. Last seen in Kelso. $1,000 Reward for any sighting that brings her home.
Aug 24, 2017 Virginia Beach, VA: Regarding a super size cat prowling the neighborhood, “It appears to be a Savannah cat which is a hybrid of a domestic cat and a serval, which is an African. They are legal to own as pets in Virginia,” Pete Acker, a biologist with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said.
Aug 22, 2017 Hardeeville, SC: A 45-pound, 2-year-old serval named Toby went missing from a Plantation Drive home in Hardeeville. The owner Christine Ismail says she suspects Toby broke through a window in the home and may be injured.
Jun 3, 2017 Ontario, Canada: South Georgian Bay OPP reported spotting an African Serval cat in the area of Tiny Beaches Road North and Forest Circle.
Mar 23, 2017 Paterson, NJ: An African Serval was tranquilized and brought to Wildlife Freedom in Wanaque after escaping through the window of the owner’s apartment in a run down section of town. The owner was insisting that the cat is a Savannah Cat, probably to avoid a ban on wild cats, but it is clearly a Serval.
Aug 14, 2015 Morganton, NC: Tyra, a Serval, went missing in the White Street/Valdese Avenue area of Morganton. Owner Jon Freed is afraid someone will mistake his 45-pound cat for a cheetah. Freed recently moved from Fort Mill, South Carolina, to Morganton, NC. Tyra escaped from Freed’s screened-in porch. This is yet one more reason why we need a federal ban on exotic cat possession.
June 19, 2013 Westtown, NY: A male, 30-35 pound serval was left outside the Dawn Animal Agency sanctuary entrance in a flimsy wire crate, and quickly escaped. He was on the loose for 3 days before being caught with a net while going for some food that was set out as a lure. The USDA is trying to track down the owner.
August 23, 2011 Weedsport, NY: A serval escaped from an enclosure through a gap in the fencing and was killed on the highway.
July 26, 2011 Tyrone Township, MI: The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office said a Serval, an African wild cat, has been found in Tyrone Township. The cat may be sent to a zoo if the owner does not come forward.
January 31, 2011 Longview, WA: An illegally kept serval was found running loose near Pacific Way and Sunset Way after escaping roughly a week earlier from his owner’s home on Nevada Dr. Throughout the week, Rajah, an African serval, had been showing up on people’s backyard decks in the Columbia Heights area, startling neighbors who suspected he might be a cheetah, Humane Society Director Rick Johnson said. An animal control officer and local veterinarian caught it after setting a trap baited with cat food. Johnson said Rajah’s owner does not have permits to own the cat, and Humane Society officials are researching what permits the owners need to legally keep it.
Dec. 4, 2010 Cincinnati, OH: A serval found in Blanchester has been returned to its owner. Eris, a female serval, was found inside a barn on Tuesday morning hovering over a domestic cat she had just killed. Ohio initiated a ban on such animals in 2010. The cat had escaped nine days before. Under bans, owners are allowed to keep their exotic pets until they die, but cannot replace them. This site had a poll and the results showed 87% of the voters believe that people should not be able to possess wild animals as pets.
Oct. 21, 2010 Youngsville, LA: Authorities say an exotic cat, they think is a Serval, is on the loose, forcing an elementary school to keep its students indoors as officials worked to capture the cat. The Daily Advertiser reports that the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Broussard Police Department, Youngsville Police Department and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries were on the scene. Sheriff’s deputies say the serval, a cheetah-like cat and native of Africa, likely got loose from its owner, who was not identified.
November 27, 2009 St. Paul, TX: A pet Serval escaped in Collin County. The cat has been declawed and cannot protect itself, but may act aggressively if it feels threatened. The missing serval is approximately 40 pounds, is orange with black spots, and had on a black collar and a red harness.
October 26, 2009 Boca Raton, FL: A Palm Beach Circuit judge told Redclift, 34, that if, in the next two months, she paid outstanding room and board – already at close to $1,000 – and got the right permit, the state would drop the charge of having Nambi the Serval without a permit. According to a report by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, a neighbor called the agency Sept. 3 to say the owner of a home in the 5100 block of Deerhurst Crescent Circle in Boca Raton had a wild cat for a pet. The neighbor, who e-mailed photographs of Nambi to the agency, said a person had been hurt by the cat. The FWC waited 20 days to investigate, but when they did Redclift told them the cat was a “Savannah cat” and said she’d brought it from NC. She admitted it had escaped from the home in Boca Raton and is now trying to have the cat released from the sanctuary where he was placed upon seizure and turned over to a Miami exotic animal dealer.
September 30, 2009 Tucson, AZ: People outside a Catalina Foothills home couldn’t believe their eyes. A man was driving through a Catalina Foothills neighborhood and spotted an African Serval. The serval is at the Tucson Wildlife Center, a non-profit sanctuary and rehabilitation center. Lisa Bates-Lininger is founding president of the Tucson Wildlife Center. She says they had to tranquilize the big cat “She could still move and attack and she was really upset with the people around her. So we did tranquilize her and we found nothing wrong with her major,” Bates-Lininger says. But the serval was in bad shape. “She was dehydrated and tired and just ready to give up. She may have died last night, but luckily we got her in. We got her emergency treatment, fluids for shock,” Bates-Lininger says. She’s also missing a rear leg.
May 3, 2009 New Orleans, LA: Linda Authement of Violet said the recent discovery of her cat, Raja, with a hole in its head has her both heartbroken and angry. Her $3,500 Savannah cat escaped and was allegedly shot by her neighbor Rene Paul Desselle. The Savannah cat is a crossbreed between a Serval African wild cat and domestic cats. They can weigh up to 25 pounds and are spotted.
February 19, 2009 New Orleans, LA: Zoo veterinarians caught a 22-pound African Serval in Uptown New Orleans, not far from the home of Wayne del Corral who was taken to court last year for keeping a Serval at his home. Corral said the cat found this week isn’t his. He said Wednesday that his own serval escaped more than four months ago in Hammond. However, authorities say its age, sex, condition, temperament and the fact that all four feet were declawed, are “eerily similar” to the animal caught last year in the same area. Heidi Heyns, 48, who lives nearby, said she saw a woman carrying a bag of raw meat and looking under houses in the area several days ago. The woman said she was looking for a lost cat described as looking like a Cheetah. “She said not to approach it, that it might not be real friendly.”
November 27, 2008 Kansas City, KS: An exotic African cat (a Serval) roaming a Kansas City neighborhood has been shot and killed by police. Residents worried the cat was dangerous to children. But efforts to trap it over several weeks were unsuccessful, and an officer shot it Thursday with a patrol rifle. Police think the cat was dumped or had escaped from people who were keeping it as a pet. The identity of the owners is not known.
November 26, 2008 Harrisburg, PA: A Chester County farm caretaker says he thought he was shooting a bobcat in the chicken coop — then his heart sank when he saw it had a collar. The animal he killed was a Serval cat that someone was keeping as a pet. Heim says once he realized he’d shot a pet, he was sad for the animal — and angry at its owner for allowing it to be out.
November 8, 2008 Anchorage, AK: In the past week, three reports of the cat wandering near Fort Richardson and Point Woronzof, some 10 miles apart, have reached Rick Sinnott, Anchorage-area wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The cat’s reported spots and size appear to describe the serval, an African wildcat sometimes kept as a “designer” pet, he said. Possessing such an animal is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine, he said.
October 28, 2008 Latham, NY: Many attacks and escapes go unreported as those who deal in exotics do not want the bad press, but they can’t help but brag about it on what they think are private chat groups. This was posted on Phoenix Exotics by a breeder of Savannah cats: “Hell I got seriously bitten by a serval and I went to the ER and said I fell out of a tree and landed on barbed wire…” signed Deborah-Ann Milette, The home of the best known Savannah”MOTZIE” In 2005 USDA fined her and revoked her license 21-C-0218 for because she allegedly drugged and killed a tiger cub among other things.
July 10, 2008 Atlanta, GA: A serval was found wandering near 14th Street and Georgia Tech in mid-town Atlanta and picked up by Animal Services who said the problem is more prevalent than most people think. Owning an exotic cat as a pet is illegal in GA unless it is being used for “education” so when exotic cats escape their owners rarely come forward. Big Cat Rescue received a report from a neighbor saying that the owner had become fearful of the cat as he matured and turned him loose on purpose. The cat, dubbed Ozzie, has been placed in a licensed facility. GA has no accredited sanctuaries, so that probably wasn’t a happy ending for the cat.
May 10, 2008 Carrollton, IL: Authorities have seized an African Serval named Max from Tammy Ruehl who was keeping it as a pet without a permit. Ruehl says she received a $75 fine. Carrollton Police Chief Mike Kiger says the state had the right to confiscate the animal.
May 9, 2008 Muskegon, MI: Both a serval and a bear are believed to have escaped April 28 or 29. Numerous residents in Fruitport Township reported seeing the bear early this week before it was recovered. The serval, a declawed cat with no way to protect himself or hunt, is still missing. He escaped through a window in the room where he was kept. DNR spokeswoman Mary Dettloff said the agency probably will seek a misdemeanor charge against the owners for failure to report the missing bear, as required by the SPCA’s permit.
February 23, 2008 Miami, FL: A pet serval was turned in, no questions asked, at an exotic pet amnesty day sponsored by the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission. 100 owners dropped off bags full of pythons, scorpions and assorted other reptiles, birds and mammals. “This is garden-variety stuff,” said exotic pet veterinarian Thomas Goldsmith, who examined the submissions. “This is Miami. People have sloths and leopards and God knows what else.” The FWC then gave the dumped pets to new owners. One of the people surrendering her pets, Christie Lyon said, “People have no idea what they’re getting into.”
January 24, 2008 Seattle, WA: Two declawed, yearling servals were found wandering around West Seattle. Animal Control picked up one on Jan. 1 as it was going after some cat food left on a doorstep. Officers picked up the second one on the grounds of Madison Middle School. Officer Don Baxter suspects they both belonged to the same owner, who has not claimed them.
November 1, 2007 Mahopac, NY: An emaciated Serval seized from a squalid home. “What we’re finding now is in its feces, there’s a lot of Styrofoam,” said Ken Ross, chief of the SPCA of Westchester’s Humane Law Enforcement division. “It was eating whatever it could. It was extremely hungry.” Louis Pinto, 54, who is on parole after a drug conviction, was charged with animal cruelty, a misdemeanor, in the serval case. The serval wasn’t the first large feline to lead Pinto to legal trouble. In 1998, DEC officers removed Dax, a 5-month-old domesticated bobcat, from his home. In 2002, Pinto was charged with first-degree criminal possession narcotics after authorities seized $1 million worth of the illegal drugs.
October 25, 2007 Saginaw, TX: Gizmo the pet serval escaped through an open window Thursday night and was last seen Tuesday morning in a field near a school, rec. center and residential area. Gizmo weighs about 35 pounds and has been de-clawed. The cat was later recaptured.
September 8th, 2007, Phoenix, AZ: An African Serval cat bolted from its owner and is loose on Valley streets far from its native African savanna. The animal has been Shaw’s pet for about three weeks. She said she got it from a woman in Kentucky who had to get rid of it. “The cat was being beaten with a belt from her soon-to-be ex-husband,” Shaw said. Shaw said the animal escaped 12 days ago while she was playing with it. “She went straight bee-line, so fast it was unbelievable, right over that fence,” Shaw said.
August 8, 1997 Heritage Park, CO: A serval named Sir Sidney escaped from Ken Koster’s motorhome in Steamboat Springs while he was visiting with family. Koster lives in Wyoming. It is illegal to own a serval in Colorado, and DOW officer Haskins said Koster could face fines as a result of bringing the animal into the state. Haskins said it’s become popular to own exotic pets such as servals, describing them as the latest designer pet. (Our definition of a pet is an animal who doesn’t run away from you the first chance they get)
July 16, 2007 Patton Township, PA: Sgt. Frank Monroe said officers received a report Friday night of a cheetah running across state Route 550, but the animal turned out to be a serval, a medium-sized wildcat native to Africa. Police are seeking the owners of the serval, because the animal could not survive a central Pennsylvania winter, Monroe said. Police have posted fliers asking residents to be on the lookout for the animal.
November 7, 2006 Aurora, OR: A three year old male Serval escaped from Crystal Bacon’s home in the 12000 block of Fargo Road NE and remains at large. Deputies found the cat about 1:30 a.m. today, and Bacon came to get it but she told deputies the animal got away again on her way home.
October 8, 2006 LaFollette (Wate) TN: Police arrested Jerome Love on 87 counts of animal cruelty after discovering nearly a hundred pets in his yard. Officials describe the animals living conditions as deplorable. An African serval was confiscated as part of the exotic menagerie.
June 26, 2006 Atlanta, GA: An African serval escaped from its pen at a Buckhead home about a week ago. The wildcat weighs about 30 pounds and belongs to a licensed breeder, who has taped “lost serval cat” fliers to mailboxes in the area. The cat, named Webbie, is declawed, according to fliers posted by her owner, Fred Boyajian, around the Mount Paran neighborhood. Boyajian is the same breeder who last year had a lynx escape from his Buckhead property. That wildcat was recaptured after a two-week period.
June 5, 2006 Fayetteville, NC: Animal control officer, Christine Gallagher, found herself dealing with a serval, a cheetah look-alike native to East Africa pacing nervously in a neighborhood. The big cat was rounded up and taken to Cumberland County Animal Shelter.
March 9, 2006 Point Breeze, PA: A 42 pound African Serval named Mr. Bigglesworth was confiscated from Mark Nernberg after his second escape. The bottle raised pet had been loose for over a month back in August (eating what?) and was returned to his owner with the understanding that the owner aquire a permit to keep him. At the time of his second reported escape the owner had failed to obtain a permit and so the animal is being held pending the outcome of the case.
May 19, 2005 Omaha, NE: A serval on the loose has found a new home. The big cat was captured Wednesday at 59th and Franklin.
April 25, 2005 Lacey, WA: Serval lost and hybrid found. Donny Roder reported loosing his 40 lb Serval and authorities nabbed a Serval hybrid while looking for the lost pet, but this cat was larger and no owner found.
April 23, 2005 Coon Rapids, MN: A Serval was discovered in the rafters of a garage and taken to the Humane Society. No owner has come forward.
February 1, 2005 Vero Beach, FL: The large golden African Serval, scared and lashing out, was dragging its left leg through the underbrush due to a broken back. Sadly, the animal had to be euthanized. Dangerfield estimated that it was about 2 years old and said it had not been declawed. The cat may have escaped from someone’s private collection, said Dangerfield. tcpalm.com
January 30, 2005 Los Angeles, CA: Hollywood Hills residents were under warning today that a serval — a spotted, long-eared African cat that apparently escaped from whoever was keeping it as a pet — is roaming their area. “Keep small children and small pets indoors. Do not leave small children unattended outdoors,” said a Los Angeles Department of Animal Services statement.
November 10, 2004 Columbia, TN: An 19 month old Serval named Nyla escapes while her owner, Talisa Bowers is out of town when the family dog forced open her gate to get to her food. Nyla had eluded recapture for more than a month last October when she escaped by pushing the door open herself. At this time the declawed Serval is still on the loose with only domestic pets to feed on since she is incapable of capturing real prey.
April 8, 2004 Long Island, NY: Suffolk County Police are Looking For Exotic Cat On Long Island . The 40 lb. Serval Martha Wentz kept in the basement broke out of the window and has been on the loose while Wentz was vacationing in FL.
February 4, 2004 Omaha NE: Serval is found wandering in a neighborhood. Owners try to convince law enforcement that it is a legal hybrid.
August 14, 2002 Akron, OH: A 30-pound “pet” serval-hybrid escaped and ran loose for several blocks, worrying neighbors who were concerned for the safety of children playing outdoors.
December 1, 2005 Greensboro, NC: Sabre’s owner, Megan Morris, could be cited by animal control if the loose Serval turns out to be Sabre again. The feline would then be given to a humane society or wildlife refuge or euthanized if no appropriate home can be found.
May 19, 2005 Omaha, NE: A serval on the loose has found a new home. The big cat was captured Wednesday at 59th and Franklin.
April 25, 2005 Lacey, WA: Serval lost and hybrid found. Donny Roder reported loosing his 40 lb Serval and authorities nabbed a Serval hybrid while looking for the lost pet, but this cat was larger and no owner found.
April 23, 2005 Coon Rapids, MN: A Serval was discovered in the rafters of a garage and taken to the Humane Society. No owner has come forward.
February 1, 2005 Vero Beach, FL: The large golden African Serval, scared and lashing out, was dragging its left leg through the underbrush due to a broken back. Sadly, the animal had to be euthanized. Dangerfield estimated that it was about 2 years old and said it had not been declawed. The cat may have escaped from someone’s private collection, said Dangerfield. www.tcpalm.com
January 30, 2005 Los Angeles, CA: Hollywood Hills residents were under warning today that a serval — a spotted, long-eared African cat that apparently escaped from whoever was keeping it as a pet — is roaming their area. “Keep small children and small pets indoors. Do not leave small children unattended outdoors,” said a Los Angeles Department of Animal Services statement.
November 10, 2004 Columbia, TN: An 19 month old Serval named Nyla escapes while her owner, Talisa Bowers is out of town when the family dog forced open her gate to get to her food. Nyla had eluded recapture for more than a month last October when she escaped by pushing the door open herself. At this time the declawed Serval is still on the loose with only domestic pets to feed on since she is incapable of capturing real prey.
April 8, 2004 Long Island, NY: Suffolk County Police are Looking For Exotic Cat On Long Island . The 40 lb. Serval Martha Wentz kept in the basement broke out of the window and has been on the loose while Wentz was vacationing in FL.
February 4, 2004 Omaha NE: Serval is found wandering in a neighborhood. Owners try to convince law enforcement that it is a legal hybrid.
January 15, 2003 Miami, FL: Exotic cat is found along Florida highway. Cat’s “owner” claims animal was stolen WSVN-TV Channel 7
August 14, 2002 Akron, OH: A 30-pound “pet” serval-hybrid escaped and ran loose for several blocks, worrying neighbors who were concerned for the safety of children playing outdoors.
October 3, 2001 Pittsburgh, PA: A “pet” African serval escaped for the fourth time in two years (see August 3, 2001).
August 3, 2001 Pittsburgh, PA: A 42-pound “pet” African serval alarmed the neighborhood after he escaped and ran loose for the third time in two years. The serval was undernourished when he was re-captured a month later.
May 2001 Douglass (Berks) Township, PA: An escaped “pet” African serval was struck and killed by a car after roaming free for a week.
June 28, 2000 Rensselaer, NY: A 4-year-old boy underwent plastic surgery for a bite to the neck and two puncture wounds to the face when he was attacked by a 40-pound African serval being taken for a walk. The man walking the cat received several stitches for bite wounds to the hand.
