Serval cats are not included in the provincial controlled alien species legislation, which means their breeding is not regulated, according to the B.C. SPCA.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ B.C. SPCA
September 20, 2019 - 9:47 AM
KAMLOOPS - After 13 serval cats were seized by B.C. SPCA animal protection officers from an exotic breeder outside of Kamloops earlier this summer, the animal protection agency has announced they will be transferring the wild cats to accredited sanctuaries.
The B.C. Farm Industry Review Board has awarded custody of the 13 cats to the B.C. SPCA, according to a news release.
“After months of specialized care, the servals will not be returned to their former owners. Instead, these wild animals will be transferred to accredited sanctuaries to live out their wild lives," the B.C. SPCA says.
The wild African cats were found living in a distress from a breeder in Little Fort, approximately 90 kilometres north of Kamloops. These animals require a very specialized diet, an extensive space to run and express natural play and hunting behaviours, according to B.C. SPCA Chief Prevention and Enforcement Officer, Marice Moriarty.
The B.C. SPCA was alerted to the breeder after receiving complaints of sick and injured animals being sold. Most of the serval cats were being kept in RV trailers on the property and being exposed to high levels of ammonia from urine with litter boxes overflowing with feces without proper ventilation or access to water. The cats were also exposed to high temperatures and the area they were kept in had windows covered.
The breeding and possession of servals remains legal in B.C., according to the B.C. SPCA.
The animal protection agency is urging the public to sign a petition to add serval cats to the Controlled Alien Species List which would make the importation, breeding, sale, display and private possession of servals illegal.
To view the petition go here.
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