Meet the Serval: Dartmoor Zoo’s latest arrival

A giraffe…cat?

No, your eyes don’t deceive you, there is such a thing as a giraffe cat, but you might know them by a different name.

Introducing, the Serval.

The Serval (Leptailurus serval) is a wild cat native to Africa, residing in a variety of habitats including savannahs, grasslands, wetlands, and forests.

The nickname ‘giraffe cat’ stems from their slender body which accompanies a set of long legs (the longest of ANY cat
relative to its body size) and a long neck to match.

With yellow and black, spotted and striped fur and large pointed ears, they are stunning to see…if you’re lucky – Servals are
masters of camouflage!

Servals are often solitary and are carnivorous in nature, eating a variety of prey including insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds and rodents. Known for their pounce, their powerful leaps enable them to catch prey with their forepaws or catch birds mid-flight.

They are also instinctive water hunters with spectacular hearing, that have even been known to catch and eat flamingos.

Classified as least concern by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List, their numbers are stable at approximately 50,000, however, this species still faces a lot of threats in the wild.

Habitat loss and poaching are considered the two largest threats to the Serval species, with wetlands playing a huge role in this.

Unfortunately, due to unsustainable development, pollution, invasive species and climate change, wetlands are rapidly decreasing, causing the Servals to relocate, looking for habitat elsewhere.

This in turn heightens the risk of Servals being poached and sold into the illegal pet trade or for their fur.

Conservation efforts for this species are predominantly focussed on habitat maintenance, especially wetlands, in order to maintain suitable living conditions for these cats, with a bid to ensure their numbers remain stable.

Dartmoor Zoo have recently welcomed Servals into their collection, with a male named Churchill rescued from The Cat Survival Trust and a female mate arriving later in March from another UK Zoo.

Our mission is ‘To conserve wildlife, promote wellbeing and educate future generations by inspiring people to be more engaged with nature’ and by incorporating incredible species such as the Serval cat, we can continue to strive towards this by educating, engaging and exciting people about animals they may not otherwise have the chance to see and fall in love with.

Whilst Servals don’t have strict breeding periods, there is often more success during spring months, with a gestation period varying between 66 – 77 days.

So, fingers crossed we will have a successful breeding pair and welcome some new kittens to Dartmoor Zoo in the near
future!