The discovery of a wild African cat on the farmland of a Missouri family residing in the Ozark Mountains was unprecedented.
A farmer near Ava, Missouri, notified the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, by email on January 17 that he had captured an African serval in a live trap. He reported to the shelter that the cat had been roaming his land for approximately six months.
“When it was young, I returned home late one night to find it running across the road… “I thought, ‘Wow, that was one crazy-looking cat,’” the farmer’s son remarked in a Facebook video shared by the refuge.
The president of the refuge, Tanya Smith, stated that the cat escaped or was released near the farm.
“They took it to the veterinarian to see if it had a microchip, but it did not,” she said. “There was no record of this African serval’s identification,”
The approximate age of the 30-pound feline is six years old. Typically, African servals are located south of the Sahara Desert.
The captive African serval was a successful hunter and was able to obtain birds to eat, as evidenced by the feathers strewn throughout her cave between hay bales.
“It’s likely what saved it during the last major storm,” Smith added.
Smith and her colleagues were able to move the cat from the live trap into a pet carrier after traveling two hours north to Ava. They returned her to the sanctuary and placed her in confinement at their veterinarian facility. She was infested with parasites and vermin.
Smith stated that nobody knew where the cat had come from. She was infested with fleas and had other problems, including frostbite on her tail.
On Friday, Smith reported receiving two calls from individuals who believed it to be their cat.
“How numerous are there? “Absurd!” she exclaimed.
Life in the wild can be difficult for African servals. Even if they are not fully tamed, they have not been taught to hunt by their mother in the same way.
Smith stated, “Who knows how long she was out there?” I’m worried that if we hadn’t saved her, she wouldn’t have survived more than a few weeks, as the infection in her paw was quite severe.
African cats are not accustomed to Ozark winters. Even in the Arkansas sanctuary, the African origin of these creatures necessitates the provision of heated housing.
Smith stated that releasing these types of animals is a dilemma. This was the third animal released into the wild that had ended up at the refuge over the years.
Today, the cat is in good health. As she recovers, the shelter searches for a sponsor for her care. The non-profit is seeking individuals willing to commit for the cat’s entire life, which might last up to 20 years.
“This was a rescue in an emergency. Smith stated that we were unprepared to accept another African serval. “There are already nine animals at the shelter, but we have decided to keep her and made room for her.”
The serval was placed in a recovery cage and observed by staff at the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge following a medical examination.
In 1992, Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge was founded by the Smith family. The approximately 500-acre ranch was established after a black-market breeder delivered 42 lions and tigers in three livestock trailers to a woman’s porch. In Texas, the breeder was on the run from the law and frantically sought a home for the cats.
The cats were temporarily housed on a ranch in Eureka Springs by a friend of the woman’s family. Over the past 31 years, the ranch, now known as Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, has saved more than 400 big cats and 100 other creatures.
Additionally, the sanctuary was essential in the passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act last year. On December 20, President Joe Biden signed a bill that prohibits the trade of dangerous large cats as pets. According to the Animal Welfare Institute, it also ensures that no more cubs are snatched from their mothers at birth and traumatized for profit.
While the law prohibits the rapid breeding of large cats, smaller cats such as African servals, caracals, and Savannah cats are not covered. Smith stated that she continues to receive inquiries from those who believe these unusual animals will make fine pets. However, they quickly realize they cannot teach it properly and stop giving it raw meat.
Smith stated, “It will not be fine in your home.” They are territorial and will eat your other pets, attack your children, or urinate in your house.
They are predators, not pets, cautions Smith.
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