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African Serval
Scientific Name: Felis Lepatilurus
The
African Serval is peculiar looking smaller cat, built to hunt in the
grassy plains of Africa. They have very long tall legs, a small head with
large ears, that have long ranging auditory capability. Males can weigh
anywhere between 9 to 19 kilograms, females between 9 and 13 kilograms.
Their coat is pale yellow with solid black spots. Melanistic or all-black
servals have been reported to live in some mountainous areas. The tail of
the serval is short, and has a black tip and black rings and spots. A
serval’s ears are black with central white large spots.
Its name is derived from a Portuguese word
"Serval" that means "wolf deer".
In the Wild...
The
main prey for a serval are smaller mammals, in particular rodents such as
swamp rats and mice. In addition, they hunt for birds, reptiles, frogs,
fish and insects depending on what is available in their natural habitat.
There have been some reports of servals going after flamingos in water.
Servals mainly hunt at night in tall grass and are able to hear their
victims from great distances. Their long legs allow them to leap on top of
their unsuspecting target. They can leap anywhere from 1 to 4 meters
horizontally and up to over 1 meter high vertically to catch birds and
insects in flight.
Biology
Servals
have a gestation period between 70 and 79 days. Their litter size is
between 1 and 3 cubs. The cubs become independent in about 6 to 8 months
and can stay in the vicinity of their mother for a period of over one
year. Cubs become sexually mature between 1 ½ and 2 years of age. The are
known to live in the wild to an average age of 19 years, in captivity
about 25 years of age.
Habitat
and Distribution
The
serval habitat is mainly in various regions in Africa in wet savannah ta ll
grass areas, and along various coastal regions in Africa. Servals like
water and have been found “fishing” often.
Threats
In
North and South Africa the serval population is decreasing due to
increasing urbanization in those regions. Servals however adapt very well
in human agricultural environments since these areas often provide
convenient prey animals such as rodents. In turn this makes the serval an
inconvenience to farmers and they are often considered as vermin.
Ironically, the serval may actually help the farmers by killing these same
rodents that can prevent spread of animal and human diseases.
Although in most regions servals can legally be
hunted there are some countries where hunting servals is prohibited. These
countries are: Algeria, Botswana, Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique,
Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa (Cape province only). Yet other countries
have regulated hunting for servals, such countries include: Angola,
Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal, Sierra
Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Togo, Zaïre, Zambia.
There is no protection for the serval in the
following countries: Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea
Bissau, Ivory Coast, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Niger,
South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe.
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Kenya
As they mature,
there is no mistaking the fact that these animals do not belong in
close quarters with people. Its not the animal’s fault, they were
never made to be pets – the problem begins with the laws that allow
breeders to sell these animals to people who love wildlife, only to
realize later on that they have made a tragic mistake. In Kenya’s
case, he is still young enough to socialize with another Serval
friend and they will be enjoying a spacious outdoor habitat under
the shade of huge oak trees. He will have people around to care for
him and spend time with him, but will now have the opportunity to be
wild and as free as we can let him be.