Four rescued serval kittens have been placed into a larger enclosure on the private reserve where they will slowly be released back into the wild.
Johannesburg, South Africa (26 June 2023) – Four rescued serval kittens are growing quickly and getting ready to make the next big step to freedom.
Earlier this year a joint operation between the Bloemfontein SPCA, Virginia SPCA and the Department of Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA), the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital team saw the rescue of over 70 wild animals being bred for the illegal pet trade.
Several Servals were rescued, some still pregnant at the time, some far too young to have been removed from mom. This is the story of three little Servals (Leptailurus serval) that were part of the rescue.
The Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital shared its story in early May, needing a little support in feeding the hungry little felines. The three rescued kittens also had very compromised health. The team worked tirelessly to save them and get them back to health. Then a few weeks later, they added a fourth rescued kitten to the litter.
Now, all four kittens are getting ready to be released back into the wild. The wildlife vet shared the happy news that they have been moved into a larger enclosure and are being given daily enrichment activities aimed at triggering their natural instincts.
The enclosure is already on the private reserve where they will live, once ready, they will leave the enclosure and settle into a wild life as was always meant to be.
“The four serval (three from a confiscation and one found in suburban area) are safely in their new home!
Raising indigenous wildlife, for future release, is no easy feat, and is a time-consuming process – but SO worth it! Wild animals instinctively know what to eat, but when young we give them the food items that their mother would have given them. This triggers their instincts and natural behaviour and readies them for a wild life. It is important to note only dead prey items are fed and that wild animals do not need to “learn” to catch live prey. Take your average domestic cat for instance, nobody teaches them anything and they are prolific hunters.
They are now in a large enclosure that will have their enrichment changed regularly during their stay. They are still being support fed while they acclimatise to their new environment. Once they are a few months older, the enclosure will be opened and they will be free to roam, as well as come back to their enclosure for food and familiarity. Soon they won’t come back anymore and will be living fully within the private reserve that will be their forever home. This reserve offers the perfect serval habitat and we hope that they will live long successful lives here as independent serval, just as nature intended.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of their journeys thus far, this victory is yours!”
The wildlife vet treats all indigenous animals free of charge. You can support the work they do by checking out the website here.
by 