Police in Pennsylvania recently captured an African serval, a large cat resembling a small cheetah, after it was spotted running loose in Reading.
The first reports of the spotted feline came in on November 3, about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. When officers located the animal, they initially believed it to be a cheetah.
The Animal Rescue League of Berks County was contacted by the local police on Saturday to help with the capture.
Upon arrival, staff identified the animal as an African serval, a species illegal to own in Pennsylvania without a proper license. According to the state’s game commission, no such licenses have been issued in Berks County.
The serval, a female estimated to be between 1 and 2 years old, had been declawed and was very friendly, leading animal rescue workers to believe it had been raised as a pet.
Tom Hubric, interim executive director of the Animal Rescue League, estimated the cat’s value on the black market to be between $20,000 and $30,000.
Hubric suggested that the serval’s owner may have intended to breed it with a domesticated cat to create a hybrid known as a Savannah cat, which is legal to own.
The serval has since been transported to a big cat rescue facility, where it will receive the specialized diet and exercise it requires.
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