October 5, 2023, 12:02 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
A young serval—a wild cat from Africa—was confiscated in Berlin. There are recurring cases where people attempt to keep the wild animal or the Savannah cat, which results from breeding them. The article explains why neither should be done.
The desire for exotic pets is strong among many people. Whether it’s snakes, spiders, or chameleons–not everyone wants to stick with domesticated animals like dogs and cats. However, it’s often forgotten that some wild animals are not suitable for keeping in a private household and may even suffer as a result. Recently, a small wildcat from Africa was confiscated by authorities in Berlin. But the serval is not domesticated and should not be kept as a pet for various reasons.
Veterinary Office and Police Confiscate Illegally Traded Serval
The Berlin-Mitte Veterinary Office announced via X (formerly Twitter) that it had confiscated a serval in collaboration with the police. The exotic animal was apparently intended to be sold illegally in an apartment in Berlin. It is now under veterinary supervision. The origin of the animal, which is native to Africa, was initially unknown. The district office’s post ends with the words: “Wildcats are not pets!”
A police spokesperson told the “Berliner Zeitung” upon request that the animal had already been confiscated at the end of last week. “The young animal likely comes from an EU country, as animals from outside the EU would fall under customs jurisdiction,” the spokesperson added.
Also of interest: After Ban in the U.S.–What Happens to Big Cats in Private Ownership?
Why Servals Should Not Be Kept as Pets
The trend of keeping wildcats as pets is still unbroken–especially in the U.S. This is despite the fact that keeping servals is banned in many states. In Germany, states such as Bavaria and Hesse also completely prohibit this. Nationwide, keeping servals requires a permit. Among other things, one must demonstrate that they have a suitable enclosure for a serval. This is subject to general guidelines for wild animals. Accordingly, a serval requires a secured area of at least 50 square meters and is not considered a pet.
Therefore, these cute wildcats should not be confused with domesticated animals. A fully grown serval can reach up to 60 centimeters in length and weigh up to 20 kilos. That’s about four times as much as a typical house cat. Accordingly, it requires a lot of meat and live prey. Additionally, the serval is accustomed to the climatic conditions of the sub-Sahara and a life in freedom.
Servals are also not house-trained and need daily exercise and opportunities to run and jump. In captivity, they suffer or may even become aggressive toward their owners. A sofa or floor lamp would only be in the way of the wildcats and would quickly be destroyed if the animal tries to get outside. Therefore, keeping them in an apartment is entirely out of the question.
Hybrid Animal Resulted from Fatal Desire for a Miniature Serval
Servals, with their small faces and large ears, appear particularly cute. The beautiful, spotted fur also led breeders to desire a miniature serval for the living room. For this purpose, house cats and servals were bred together until the hybrid animal, the Savannah cat, was created. This was intended to retain the characteristic appearance of the serval while producing the behavior of a house cat.
Animal rights activists view the practice of breeding different species very critically. Not only is the serval many times larger and wilder than the house cat, but during mating or the birth of hybrid animals, there are frequent fatalities among house cats. To monitor breeding, female house cats are often forcibly mated with servals. This is extremely painful for the smaller species, which sometimes die during mating due to the neck bite.
Moreover, carrying hybrid animals is pure stress for a house cat. The gestation period for servals is longer than for domesticated animals. Additionally, the hybrid kittens are much larger and heavier than normal kittens, so many cats die during the birth of hybrids. Furthermore, the resulting Savannah cats are only considered legal and no longer wild animals in the fifth generation (F5). For the welfare of both species, neither a serval nor a Savannah cat should be kept as a pet.
Why you shouldn’t buy a Bengal or Savannah cat
“Cocaine Cat” – Big Cat on Drugs Captured by Police
It’s (unfortunately) that easy to keep big cats in Germany
Additional Sources
- Welttierschutzgesellschaft.org, “#NoPet: Keeping Savannah and Bengal Cats as Pets? Please Don’t!” (accessed on 10/5/2023)
- TheSprucePets.com, “Serval Cat: Breed Profile, Characteristics & Care” (accessed on 10/5/2023)
- SavannahCat.de, “The Serval–The Exotic Wildcat from the African Savannah” (accessed on 10/5/2023)