Jan. 24 (UPI) — A wildlife refuge in Arkansas said an African serval cat that was loose in Missouri for at least six months has been safely captured on a farm and will have a new home at the refuge.
The Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge said it was contacted by Missouri Game and Fish about an African serval cat that had been seen multiple times over a six-month period in the Ozarks.
The shelter set up a trap on the property of a farmer who had repeatedly seen the cat in the area, and the serval was trapped within 12 hours.
Authorities said the serval was likely an exotic pet that escaped or was abandoned by its owner. Cats are common as exotic pets and are used to breed Savannah cats, a hybrid of a serval and a domestic feline.
“It was amazing that this young servant girl could survive six months as she has, but she was obviously successful from the amount of bird feathers we found at the site. The skilled hunter had obviously been bringing her kills back to her adopted ‘den’ to consume.” . in safety,” shelter president Tanya Smith said in the announcement.
The cat will have a new permanent home at the shelter. Officials said they can offer naming rights to the animal to a donor who makes a “substantial donation” to the facility.
