People and pets have been unmistakably related for a long time. Worldwide, more than half of the population has at least one pet. The dog and cat are at the top of the list, although less cuddly animals such as fish also seem to score well. But animals that are not intended to be kept in the house are also increasingly common in the Netherlands, which is a worrying trend according to animal organizations.
Humans and animals have been living together for a long time. Long before Christ, the wolf went hunting with man. Because of this intensive contact, the wolf and later the dog became domesticated and it was impossible to imagine life without them.
The dog is still number 1 when it comes to favorite pet. Industry organization Divebo indicates that there are now about 1.9 million dogs in the Netherlands. Cats are the second most beloved pet.
Despite the enormous popularity of dogs and cats, of course, not everyone wants such an ‘ordinary’ pet. Stick insects, snakes or spiders, for some a pet cannot be special or exotic enough.
The Monkey Foundation has also noticed that for a number of years now increase sees the number of servals kept as pets. A beautiful animal to see and it is precisely that special appearance that makes it a popular ‘pet’. Since 2020, the organization, which takes care of animals but also advocates better legislation, has received many more reports per year about servals in the Netherlands. “Previously there were two to three reports per year, now there are dozens”, the organization indicates.
The reports are usually about escaped animals. On Boxing Day it was still a hit in the Central Limburg village of Herkenbosch, where a serval managed to escape.
The reason people keep animals as a serval as pets, according to Aap Foundation, is that the animals “grant a kind of status” to their owner. “In parts of the United States and many Arab countries, lions and tigers can be kept privately and are seen as a status symbol. That is not allowed in the Netherlands, so the serval is apparently the best legal alternative.”
A serval is and remains a wild animal, but is increasingly kept as a pet.
A serval is and remains a wild animal, but is increasingly kept as a pet. Photo: AP
The ‘home and hobby animal list’ is not sacred
There are guidelines in the Netherlands for keeping pets. The house and hobby animal list, formerly the positive list, was drawn up by the ministry and indicates which animal species are legal to keep as pets. The serval, among others, is not on that list. It is therefore legally permitted to keep this animal as a pet in our country. Animal organizations such as the Aap Foundation are strongly against this, because they increasingly see that keeping these types of animals leads to problems.
Until 2017, many more animals were legal to keep than today. No fewer than 153 were removed from the list of permitted animals in 2017. But that leaves plenty of animals that can be kept as pets. And there are also many special specimens such as the white-bellied cone, the mink, the chinchilla, but also a camel.
Certain animals are subject to certain conditions in order to be allowed to keep them. This applies, for example, to the chinchilla and the camel. On the website of the National Information Center Companion Animalsestablished by the sector parties and the government, you will find all current guidelines per animal species for the responsible keeping of animals, both for the special and rare species, and for the well-known and still most popular pets such as dogs and cats.
The white-bellied cone is also on the list of animals that are suitable to be kept as pets.
The white-bellied cone is also on the list of animals that are suitable to be kept as pets. Photo: 123rf