Just as you have trends in fashion and music, at AAP we also see trends in the kinds of animals people keep. We recognize those trends when certain species are added to our waiting list remarkably often. Since a few months we are seeing another such trend: exciting cats.
These include wild felines such as servals, caracals and genets as well as hybrid cats. These are mixes of felines with each other or with domestic cats. The more they look like a real cheetah the better. This is why servals in particular are appearing more and more often – in the news and in the list of shelter requests at AAP. For years, we saw these wild cats arrive incidentally, but at this moment there are no less than 16 servals on the list. About half from the Netherlands, the rest from Belgium and France. And we are only talking about one species of cat and one shelter. Just recently, two young servals (twee jonge servals ) were brought to AAP that had become deformed due to inadequate care. They now appear to be scarred for life….
Alternative to a tiger
Did this trend get a boost from the popular Tiger King? The Netflix hit shows the bizarre world of dubious American zoos where visitors are allowed to cuddle cubs for a fee. It’s quite possible that many people didn’t see how much suffering is behind these kinds of parks. Owning a tiger is not permitted here, so then ‘the next best thing’? A cute cub is bought over the Internet and then you can score on Instagram. Only when the animal grows a bit bigger do people begin realize that the once so cute animal has become very inconvenient and strong. And actually cannot be kept at home.
Cool image
Could it also have to do with the image of dangerous animals? Like in the past walking down the street with a pit bull contributed to your ‘dangerous’ image? Footballer and rapper Memphis Depay, who claims to be a big lion fan, used a liger cub while filming a music video (muziekclip) and posted photos with the animal on his social media (sociale media.). Is portraying yourself with a wild animal a way to boost your image? Then stick to a tattoo on your back and do not work on your image over the back of a defenseless animal.
‘Trophy pet’ A savannah cat was recently found on ‘billionaire’s row’ (‘billionaire’s row’), a neighborhood for the wealthy in North London. With status comes wealth, so at a price of 10,000-13,000 (kostprijs van 10.000-13.000) euros, these beautiful animals are only for those who can afford them. Not only cool, but also a way to show your wealth.
Also in the Netherlands servals, marsh cats, genets and all kinds of hybrid versions are kept. With all the risks that this entails if they escape and come into contact with people or indigenous animals. This recently happened with a fatal outcome for a rabbit. AAP considers servals unsuitable as pets and is committed to the rapid introduction of a positive list to make it crystal clear which pets are good and safe to keep. Servals and related exciting cats are not included. Anyone who really cares about animals will grant these kinds of wild animals a better life than a cage in the backyard.
