Cryptomundo » Serval Caught in Atlanta

Serval Caught in Atlanta

Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 12th, 2008

serval1

The mystery felid was identified as various kinds of cats before it was finally officially verified to be a Leptailurus serval.

The African wildcat was caught near Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia, early Thursday, July 10, 2008. It is now on lock down and its owner could face misdemeanor criminal charges for bringing the illegal pet into the state.

The Department of Natural Resources is working to locate its owner and find out how the animal found its way from the African savannahs to Atlanta. Several people have claimed the potentially dangerous cat, which may have been loose as long as two days before its capture.

The agency’s investigation could result in misdemeanor charges against the owner — including unlawful possession of a wild animal and allowing a wild animal to escape — said John Bowers, a DNR assistant chief.

Georgia prohibits owning such exotic wild animals as pets, but does grant special licenses to wild animal businesses, zoos or circuses.

The cat could end up the care of one the state’s current 119 licensees, Bowers said.

serval2

Common to Africa south of the Sahara, servals are slender with long necks, small heads and large, cupped ears. They can grow to more than 40 inches and weigh as much as 33 pounds. They are swift and agile nocturnal hunters able to climb and leap well.

Fulton Animal Control used a net to capture the exotic animal on 14th Street near Holly Street just before 3 a.m. in response to multiple calls reporting a large, wildcat in the area.

“It took quite a bit of time,” said Jere Alexander, Fulton’s animal services director. “The cat was elusive and hiding in the bushes.”

Held in a kennel by itself, the serval has acted very docile and defensive.

“It hisses. It’s crouched low,” Alexander said. “He seems scared but he’s doing fine. He’s beautiful and healthy.”

The cat was first reported as a lynx, then a ocelot and with the name “Ozzie” until the DNR helped clear up the mystery by identifying him as a serval.

In 2006, a serval roamed the Mount Paran area of Buckhead after escaping from its owner who raises exotic cats for money.

Source.

Random Posts

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 12th, 2008 at 12:02 am and is filed under Alien Big Cats, Breaking News, CryptoZoo News, Cryptotourism, Cryptozoologists, Cryptozoology, Mystery Cats, Out of Place. You can follow responses via our RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is not allowed.

Spread the Word!

del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit StumbleUpon Help

Similar Phenomena:

5 Responses to “Serval Caught in Atlanta”

mystery_man responds: July 12th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Beautiful cat. If the people who owned it were not licensed to have it, I hope they are prosecuted. There are very good reasons why people or organizations are given licenses to keep such exotic animals and I don’t feel that keeping these animals illegally should be condoned in the slightest. If this cat did escape from a licensee, I hope that those people go through lengths to ensure that their facilities and personnel are assessed to make sure this sort of mistake doesn’t happen again.
Spinach Village responds: July 12th, 2008 at 2:18 am
Cats escape… thats what they plan all day kind of like the hogans heros..

Exotic pets is a whole other hot button issue with overlying dynamics and politics
Richard888 responds: July 12th, 2008 at 9:13 am
One good thing is that the cat looks in good condition, judging from its bright fur. Its face reminds me of that mystery feline that was photographed on a rock somewhere in Maine. It looked like a cougar lynx hybrid. Could this animal have escaped in Maine and travelled to Atlanta? If a house cats can find their way back to the owner after crossing vast distances then a serval should be able to cross a few states in a few months…
cryptidsrus responds: July 13th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Glad the cat looks in good condition…
sschaper responds: July 14th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
what reason besides burning incense to Caesar? Are they endangered?

Leave your comments

You must be logged in to post a comment.

|Top | Content|

Cryptomundo
for Bigfoot, Loch Ness, and More

Serval Caught in Atlanta

Random Posts

Spread the Word!

Random Posts

5 Responses to “Serval Caught in Atlanta”

Leave your comments

Main Page

Join The Search

Mystery Pages

Login

Advertisement

Syndication

Donate Today

The Beyond

Advertisement

T 84 Viagra

taking viagra after the expiration date

cheap gerneric viagra

generic viagra levitra and cialis pills!

cheap gerneric viagra

cheap gerneric viagra

cheap gerneric viagra

Non Prescription Viagra

Viagra Illegal Phillipines

Side Affects Of Viagra

Buy Viagra Online At

taking viagra woman

Viagra And Cannabis

generic viagra levitra and cialis pills!

Viagra Bon Marche

taking viagra woman

Impotence Viagra

cheap gerneric viagra