SEATTLE - Woodland Park Zoo picked up two adult servals this afternoon from the Seattle Animal Shelter. The wildcats, native to Africa, were found roaming Seattle’s north end earlier this week. The cats are in quarantine at the zoo’s Animal Health Facility where they will receive the best animal health care and regular monitoring by zoo staff.

“The cats appear to be in good condition,” notes the zoo’s collection manager, Dana Payne. “The Shelter did a very good job of caring for them, although I think the servals are probably relieved to be away from the barking dogs.”

Woodland Park Zoo President and CEO Deborah Jensen, Ph.D., made the decision today to relieve the Shelter from further care by transferring the pair to the zoo for more space, privacy and specialized care. The zoo will assume the task of locating another zoo to accept the cats into its collection.

Ownership of non-domesticated species of felines in King County is illegal. “The benefits of domestication aren’t sufficiently appreciated by people considering exotic animals as pets,” says Payne. “Wild animals haven’t been molded for life with humans, as domesticated animals have been. Caring for them is more challenging than people realize. Exotic animals can be aggressive or unpredictable, pose health and disease problems, and have special dietary and environmental needs that many owners are not prepared to address.”

The servals’ habitat ranges from dry open plain grasslands through woodland savanna to the moister areas around the equatorial rainforests and grassy uplands of central Africa’s mountainous regions. The species, which can weigh 31 to 41 pounds, is threatened due to hunting throughout its range for its attractive coat and locally as a source of meat.