Serval Cat

I have never had the opportunity to see a real live serval cat before seeing that they are extinct in the Eastern and Western Cape.  Visiting the Royalston Game Reserve just outside Port Elizabeth not long ago the owners took us to have a look at their Serval rehabilitation project.  They obtained two serval cats from another rehabilitation project and they have had three babies which are being prepared for release at one of the big private game reserves near Port Elizabeth. 

The serval is a medium-sized cat but I didn't really know what to expect before we got there. They look like normal domestic cats just a lot bigger with much longer legs. Servals grow to about 59 to 92 cm in length and stand about half a meter tall.  This boy was in a very playful mood and had a ball chasing the handler's scarf.  The rest of us, well we were clicking away through the fence as they wanted as little interaction with other people as possible. 

For more information on Serval Cats in general, visit Wikipedia.