When someone owns an exotic pet that goes missing, all hands are on deck to find the animal. An African serval cat was on the loose for at least six months before finally being safely captured on a farm.
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge said it was contacted directly by Missouri Game and Fish about an African serval cat that had been spotted by witnesses a number of times over a six-month period. To assist with the animal’s capture, the wildlife refuge set up a trap on a farm that had spotted the cat on multiple occasions.
Within 12 hours, the serval was ensnared and will now have a new home at the refuge. Officials said the animal was likely an exotic pet that had either escaped or was abandoned by its owner. The cats are common as exotic pets and are used to breed Savannah cats, a hybrid breed of a serval and a domestic feline.
“It was amazing that this young serval could survive six months like she has, but she obviously was successful by the amount of bird feathers we found onsite. The skilled huntress had obviously been bringing her kills back to her adopted ‘den’ to consume them in safety,” refuge president Tanya Smith said in the announcement.