Monzo, an African Serval came to us in 2005 at 8 months old. He was confiscated from an owner that had him illegally. He has been our only cat here at Animal Tracks for a very long time, until recently where we were given a Bengal cat, (about the size of a house cat) and just this year another male baby
serval. Monzo is a one of a kind. He has always been treated with love and kindness and because of this, he returns the favor, and anyone can sit with him. Touching is another thing; he must give his permission by rubbing on you first. If he makes first contact, that is him saying, “you can scratch and love on me”. This is rare, as most servals greet everyone with hissing and “Stay Away,” body language. Serval males are solitary by nature once they sexually maturity, but Monzo has taken on the father role to our new serval kitten Mischief. He is patient and shares everything he has from his toys to his heated bed. They are quite a pair, and at 17 yrs old, which is pretty old, I think the kitten helps keep Monzo feeling young at heart.
ORDER: Carnivora
FAMILY: Felidae
GENUS: Leptailurus
SPECIES: Serval
Servals are the mid-size cat (25 to 40 lbs.) of Africa, known for their long legs, small head, long neck, and large ears. They are most active at dawn and dusk and live a solitary life unless it is a mother with kittens. These cats are territorial and great jumpers, six feet high from a stand still. This jumping ability is a big part of their hunting strategy. They sit quietly listening with their giant ears for things like rats, mice, gophers, frogs, reptiles, and birds and then jump surprising their prey. Because of this jumping ability, they have a higher than average hunting success rate. Servals are pregnant for approximately 70 days producing 2 to 4 kittens a litter. They stay behind while mama goes out alone to hunt for them, and at about 3 months, start to join her to hone their hunting instincts. The kittens start with insects and work their way up the food chain. They stay with her for about a year before she pushes them out to find their own territory. This can often be tough on the male kittens as she must chase them far away to avoid inbreeding.
Threats
Hyenas, leopards, hunting dogs, fur trade, bushmeat and pet trade.
Conservation Status
LC - Least Concern