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SPECIES SPOTLIGHT African Serval
“Knowing how important Velma is to the survival of her species, we have decided to raise the anticipated costs to build her a permanent home.”
African servals are medium-sized felines, native across sub-Saharan Africa, living in savannah and woodland habitats. Their long legs and extraordinary jumping ability enable them to catch birds in flight or sprint to capture small mammals and reptiles as prey. Their large ears allow them to hear their prey moving around the brush before they even see it. Servals are very successful hunters and seldom steal food from others or find the need to eat remains.
The serval’s coat displays a unique mixture of black spots and short stripes over a tawny background. Servals rely on their fur for camouflage as they crouch and stalk their prey in the grassy fields and thick brush of African plains.
Servals lead a mostly solitary existence, and only pair briefly when the female is in heat. Mother servals raise the kittens on their own, including frequently hunting to feed them. Once the young males can hunt independently, they are driven out of the mother’s care. Currently, this species maintains a healthy population in the wild.
Velma the serval and Roger Williams Park Zoo:
The Roger Williams Park Zoo (RWPZ) is an active member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, (AZA) an international professional association and peer-to-peer accrediting body dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.
The Felid Taxon Advisory Group – an expert overseeing AZA’s collaborative management programs for cat species –recently helped coordinate the emergency relocation of more than 75 felines from a distressed private breeding facility in California. The animals ranged from large tigers to tiny sand cats. RWPZ agreed to help, and a serval named Velma was moved from Southern California to Rhode Island this past spring.
Servals are included in the RWPZ 20-year master plan. However, before this rescue effort, the acquisition and exhibit construction costs were not expected for another few years while other African plains habitats were completed near the zoo’s front entrance. Costs for this exhibit are above and beyond current capital expenditures. Knowing how important Velma is to the survival of her species, we have decided to raise the anticipated costs to build her a permanent home.
As a member of a Species Survival Plan (SSP) species, Velma is recommended to breed although the program has not yet selected a mate. At seven years old, she is near the top age for successfully giving birth to a first litter. Time is a factor, so we have asked to be placed on a priority list for when a suitable male becomes available.
The African proverb, “It takes a village...”, spans many cultures and fundamentally acknowledges and celebrates other people’s role in supporting a common goal; and in the case of a newly acquired serval here at the Roger Williams Park Zoo, we need a village to help build her a new home.
