AAP has rescued the serval that escaped during the night of Friday 19 July in Lexmond, Utrecht. The serval had only just arrived at its new home, but after an earlier scratching incident, the owner did not want the feline back after it escaped.
AAP was initially unable to offer shelter, but after the Animal Ambulance indicated that the animal was at risk of falling between the cracks, it was decided to do everything possible to save her life.
Quick escape
Serval Noa (previously named Nala) escaped from a home in Lexmond on Saturday, two days after being purchased by her new owner.
AAP director David van Gennep: ‘A serval does not belong in a house; it is no life for such an animal. As soon as you open a door or window, the serval is gone.’ The predator was caught that same evening by employees of the Animal Ambulance in Vianen, where she was then taken in. It turned out that the owner did not want the animal back and that the paperwork for the transfer had not been properly arranged.
No shelter
Since 1 July, it has been illegal to keep servals, but anyone who already has one is allowed to keep it. If an owner does not take responsibility, shelter can be sought. However, capacity is very limited; servals take up a lot of space and are not easy to outplace because they like to live alone. Animal parks where AAP outplaces animals therefore have little ‘demand’ for servals, which can live in captivity for over 20 years.
There is therefore a waiting list to offer these popular felines shelter. Taking in more animals would be at the expense of the space that can be offered to the animals already in care. This put the Animal Ambulance in a difficult situation: where should the serval go?
Indignation
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) is responsible for enforcing animal welfare legislation. Because they did not proceed with confiscation, it was suggested that the animal be put down.
This decision led to great indignation among the staff of the Animal Ambulance. About twenty employees therefore took action on Wednesday afternoon in front of the RVO office in The Hague.
AAP makes room
At AAP, we also found it unacceptable that this animal might be put down. Despite the lack of space, it was decided to make room and save Noa’s life. This animal should not be the victim of commercial breeders who have been trading servals for years to people who did not realise they were bringing a wild animal into their homes.
At the end of the day on Wednesday, Noa was brought to AAP in Almere by the Animal Ambulance and is now staying in our quarantine department to see how she is doing. The team of carers named her Noa because the name Nala was already linked to another animal, a lioness.
