Re-introducing serval to the Eastern Cape

One of Africa's ten indigenous wild cats roaming again in South Africa's Eastern Cape

April 2013. Although widely distributed south of the Sahara, the serval became extinct in the Cape provinces of South Africa over the last century mainly due to habitat loss, hunting and poaching. Recently however private game reserves in the Eastern Cape have begun re-introducing the species in the hopes of contributing to the eventual re-establishment of these wild cats in the region.

10 indigenous wild cats in Africa

The serval is one of ten indigenous wild cats found in Africa. Only three other small wild cats are found in South Africa, namely the caracal, African wild cat, and the black-footed cat. The other three species, the sand cat, golden cat and jungle cat are found in limited areas in north and central Africa. The remaining big cats of Africa, lion, leopard and cheetah, receive much more attention than their smaller cousins.

The serval is a medium sized cat that can weigh up to 20kg. They have particularly long legs that help them to jump up to three metres and they have been seen to catch birds in flight. They also have large ears giving them excellent hearing and enabling them to detect prey moving underground.

Land use changes good for wild cats and predators

The Eastern Cape area was once dominated by stock farming, but recent decades have seen an increase in private game reserves. This is good news predators such as jackal, caracal and even leopard, which are hunted and killed for the threat they pose to livestock. In the case of the serval, it was wiped completely from the area, but as private game reserves grow so does their capacity to re-introduce indigenous wildlife to the area. 

Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/serval-eastern-cape.html

5th ocelot sighting confirmed (via Chad Arment)

The fifth confirmed Arizona ocelot sighting in two years was reported Friday by the chairman of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.

Chairman Robert R. Woodhouse said at a commission meeting that the state Game and Fish Department had confirmed a new ocelot sighting report in southeastern Arizona on Friday. The ocelot is listed as an endangered species in the United States.

A Game and Fish officer investigating a report from another source found tracks and received several images that helped the department determine this was a verified ocelot report. More specific details about the cat and where it was found were not available late Friday.

Two other ocelot sightings occurred in February and May of this year in the Huachuca Mountains, while a dead ocelot was found near Globe in April 2010, Game and Fish officials have said.
In November 2009, remote cameras placed by the conservation group Sky Island Alliance photographed an ocelot in Cochise County. Until that sighting, no confirmed ocelot sightings had occurred in Arizona since 1964.


Read more: http://azstarnet.com/news/science/environment/th-ocelot-sighting-confirmed/article_bd63c811-1745-50f5-9786-98afc850c5a1.html#ixzz1ffC8QERU



Eds' note:  However, here is update on that story:

Sighting was African cat, not ocelot

TUCSON, AZ (KOLD) - After further review, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said the reported rare sighting of an ocelot was another breed of cat called a serval.

A serval is a popular African cat in the pet trade, the fish and game department said.

The Department uses a three-tiered classification system to rank reported sightings from the public based on the level of physical evidence available, the department said.

The presence of physical evidence such as scat, hair, tracks and/or photos and video can lead to a Class I designation of "verifiable" or "highly probable."

Read more here ...

Man Finds African Wild Cat Inside Barn

BLANCHESTER, Ohio -- An area man was shocked Tuesday morning when he saw an African wild cat outside his home.


Anthony Topmiller said he heard a growling sound when he opened his barn door to feed his cattle, and when he looked to see what it was, he saw what looked like a small cheetah about five feet away.

"I've never been afraid of an animal, but I will definitely say I was taken aback from this one," Topmiller said. "It sounds silly, but a 30-pound cat had my barn held hostage."

The animal was actually a serval, a medium-sized cat related to lions, hovering over a domestic cat it had just killed.

"It was not wanting to leave its prey, so we considered him fairly dangerous and called the proper authorities to come in and help us with this animal," Topmiller said.

Animal control officers picked up the serval, which a neighbor claims belongs to her.

The woman said she has been looking for the female serval, which she has raised from a baby and named Eris, since it escaped nine days ago.

She said the animal is valued at about $3,000.

The dog warden said Ohio has almost no regulations on wild animals such as this one.

"People need to be trained on what they're doing," Topmiller said. "We can't have these things wild like this. It's become a public safety (issue), and that's exactly what happened yesterday."

The serval remains with animal control officers while the neighbor attempts to regain custody.