A serval, also known as a ‘tiger cat’, escaped in the Helmond district of Houtsdonk on Thursday evening. The feline predator has run off and is hiding somewhere nearby. Local residents are already searching, but trying to catch the animal yourself is not convenient, according to the animal ambulance. “He only listens to the owner himself.”
Local residents initially do not know exactly what kind of animal it is, but according to one of them, the neighborhood app is filling up with messages about the predator. “One person had already seen it near the football fields, someone else among the trees and bushes, but we can’t find the animal anywhere yet.”
“Do not approach the serval yourself.”
A serval is a wild cat that normally lives in the African savannahs. According to the animal ambulance, the animal cannot be compared to a normal house cat. “A serval is really a predator. This missing animal also has that instinct. People should not try to catch this animal themselves,” said a spokesperson for the Helmond animal ambulance. “This 1-year-old serval has been neutered and tamed, so he won’t just attack you.”
The question remains how the animal ambulance will catch the animal. “The owner reported to us that her pet is missing. She didn’t want to give up her own number for the searchers. That’s why people who see the predator should call us now. But before we get there, the animal could be gone. It would have been more convenient if people could call her themselves. After all, the serval already knows her.”
“Owners are now breeding like crazy.”
The searches in the Houtsdonk district therefore continue even further, although the animal only responds to certain commands. “We as local residents can call out to the animal, but she only listens to her owner. So I think it will take a while,” a local resident told Omroep Brabant.
According to the animal ambulance, a serval as a pet is very special, especially because the animal will be on the list of prohibited animals from next year. “After that date, no more servals are allowed. So serval owners are breeding like crazy. Of course, they want to register all those servals before January 1,” says an animal ambulance employee.
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