Are servals legal in Georgia?

Serval. Image by Raik Thorstad from Pixabay

It is illegal for individual in Georgia to own and possess a serval. I have just telephoned the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division and they have confirmed the legal situation namely that it is illegal for an individual to own a serval in Georgia. You can apply for a special permit to the same department if you wish.

Below is a link to a page on exactly the same subject which sets out the law upon which I based my answer. I also refer to the application for a special permit on that page. DNR provide some warnings to people thinking about acquiring an exotic pet such as a serval. Clearly, they are contacted by people who are perhaps not in a position to adopt such an animal but are enamoured of the exotic appearance of a serval and think that they would love to live with one. Very few people are in a position both in terms of time and finances and commitment to adequately care for a serval as a pet.

Are servals legal in Georgia?

Captive serval with white rabbit in mouth. Photo: Michael.

Postscript: if you’ve never interacted with a serval before I would advise that you meet one in their enclosure and interact with the cat to see what you think. The males are quite big and they can be intimidating. They do not act like domestic cats even when tame, which is to be expected. They have to be confined to the home which provokes them to escape as their natural range is around 10 square kilometers. They often escape and are sometimes shot once they are in public areas. They sometimes spray urine inside the home to mark territory (in the wild they can sometimes spray 95 times per hour!). They are quite a handful and if you can get over all these issues you must never declaw a wild cat of any kind. A serval’s claws are quite large, similar to the claws of a large dog. Some people declaw their ‘pet’ servals which compounds the whole incorrectness of the process in my view.