How do you react to these pictures of a serval toying with a white rabbit? When I first saw the pictures about 2 years ago I thought it would be better if I didn’t publish them because some visitors might find them upsetting. I have changed my mind because I think they might start an interesting discussion. Anyway, I hope so.
Although I don’t know the circumstances that resulted in this serval playing with the rabbit, I do know that the pictures were taken at A1 Savannahs, Oklahoma, by Kathrin Stucki. You can see the enclosure that the serval lives in. The serval would quite possibly be a breeding cat. I have been in an enclosure with these servals.
They are large cats the size of a large dog. Breeding servals are neither domesticated nor wild. If you are in an enclosure with them, they are slightly intimidating to greatly intimidating, depending on your personality. They are used to having people around but they hiss a lot at you and spray you copiously! Well that is what happened to me and it is to be expected.
I am certain that nothing unethical took place because Kathrin and Martin, her husband, set high standards. The encounter between serval and rabbit may have been an accident. Perhaps something went wrong. I don’t know.
A Serval is a cat just like any other cat and has the instincts of a cat, if we love cats we accept their deepest instinct is to play with and kill prey. As much as I love rabbits, they are prey to cats, maybe it got in through a gap in the enclosure?
I hate seeing big cats enclosed too and hate that people buy them when there are thousands of small domestic cats killed very day for lack of homes, but I suppose those cats are too ‘ordinary’ for some people!
This is my primary concern too. I hate seeing it. I respect other people’s views and work but hate to see wild cats in enclosures. Servals need many square miles of space in which to live normally.
IMO, the Kathrin and Martin would never do anything to harm another species. It doesn’t even cross my mind that they might.
What you said in re to entering a serval enclosure is interesting, Michael. I’m curious. Could it be that because you are male, a serval might feel intimidated? I have no idea. Pls let me know from your experience there?
I went in very early in the morning to take photos and it worked out well. I went into two enclosures. One contained a male and his mate. This is the link:
https://pictures-of-cats.org/male-serval-morpheus-and-partner-penelope.html
The big male hissed at me and sprayed me but I still got nice pictures. I was very close to him. I felt a little on edge as he was a large cat. His female also hissed at me. This was totally normal as I got too close really.
The other enclosure contained a domesticated female serval, who also hissed at me. She was actually a bit scared of me but came out of her den after about 20 mins inside her enclosure with her.
These are two pages on Serena:
https://pictures-of-cats.org/serval-hiss.html
https://pictures-of-cats.org/african-serval-cat-serena.html
Totally agree. I know them well and they are good people.
It looks like it was fed to it. Maybe they need live food.
I does look a bit like that but this didn’t happen. It was an accident I think. The bunny strayed too close to a serval enclosure. That is my guess. Servals are fed prepared cat food not that dissimilar to pet cat food with some raw.
Its more seeing servals in enclosures that’s unpleasant although I do hope the bunny didn’t start out as a live toy. If it did then it would be normal I suppose for the servals so either way I am not complaining. They seem like big cats who need alot of space, perhaps even miles of it. I’d let a serval live on my land if i had a couple hectares of it anything less seems odd – particularly when breeding. Do people buy them as pets? It must be a real money making business.
Agree. Everything you say is correct. The enclosures are very large by cat breeder standards but far too small by serval standards. I don’t like it at all.
The serval is often a pet in America. This is wrong too because people like to keep a wild cat but don’t know how to. They declaw them and keep them inside. Madness as far as I am concerned but I do respect other people’s views. They escape sometimes and sometimes are shot. More madness as far as I am concerned.
An escaped serval scares people even though the cat is probably far more frightened than the people. The serval can be large but they don’t attack people unless they really have to.
Michael,
Do you know what became of the bunny? Maybe the serval really was playing with it. I don’t see any blood.
And, being as you/ POC host TKA, I hope you don’t mind me including links to some old posts- videos of cat and bunny love.
VG
http://teh-kitteh-antidote-anecdote.pictures-of-cats.org/2009/01/international-love-fluffy-tail-and-big.html
http://teh-kitteh-antidote-anecdote.pictures-of-cats.org/2008/10/more-bunny-love-cat-adopts-rabbit.html
http://teh-kitteh-antidote-anecdote.pictures-of-cats.org/2008/10/rabbit-and-cat-love-aahhh.html
A1 Savannahs have a farm with lots of farm animals as well as the breeding cattery. I suspect a rabbit got out of his enclosure and strayed too near the enclosure of a serval. The serval might have grabbed the rabbit through the fencing and killed it. At that point the staff at A1 Savannahs probably decided it was sensible to let the cat keep the rabbit. Then the cat would have played with the dead rabbit in exactly the same way a domestic cat plays with a mouse. These servals get little chance to hunt so this cat has extended the “hunting” process.
That is my guess as to what might have happened. The links are fine, of course, VG. You are a very privileged PoC member who can do as she pleases 😉
What a sad world when beautiful cats are enclosed and thus denied their natural behaviour.That cat must have thought it was her birthday and Christmas all rolled into one.Poor rabbit yes but poor cat as well.
There is no glory in the admiration of their beauty for the cats only for their owners.
Cats of any sort view bunnies as food, I have one cat Molly that loves walks and if she sees a rabbit (bunny) she is off after it! Natural instinct…
I tend to agree that we can’t be too squeamish about these things. Ultimately it is natural behavior.