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An African Serval that got loose in South Carolina following a house fire has been located – and transported to an out-of-state wildlife refuge.
According to a 1:00 p.m. EDT update from the city of Chester, S.C., the cat “has been located” and is “currently at an animal sanctuary in Florida.”
“There is no longer a direct threat to the safety of our residents,” a release from the city noted.
As our Erin Parrott reported earlier today, Chester County’s animal control office was dispatched to a house fire at 147 E. Lacey Street in Chester, S.C. on Thursday (August 1, 2024). Two deceased domestic cats were found at that address, but the Serval was nowhere to be seen.
According to the city of Chester’s initial statement, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) advised that it was illegal to “own or transport an African Serval without a proper license,” while its police department stated that SCDNR agents had given a “shoot on sight” command regarding the missing cat.
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The city’s follow-up statement retracted both of those pieces of information. According to SCDNR, it is legal to own or transport an African Serval in South Carolina – and no “shoot on sight” order was ever given regarding this particular wild animal.
“There were miscommunications with animal control,” the city statement noted.
African Servals stand as tall as two feet and can weigh up to forty pounds. They feast on rodents, birds, rabbits and reptiles, and are adept at stalking their prey – a process which involves the cats remaining motionless for extended periods of time before attacking with a sudden leaping motion.
When Servals leap, they can reach as high as ten feet in the air prior to pouncing on their intended meal.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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2 comments
I’m glad it was captured unharmed. If it was a pet, it probably never was much of a danger to anyone.
So, which is it?
If it is legal and safe, why was it taken from its owner and sent to Florida?
It is is illegal and dangerous, why was there no shoot-on-site-order?