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Servals have the largest ears of any cat relative to their body size, helping them detect the slightest movements of prey.
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Their exceptional hearing allows them to detect and locate a rodent’s ultrasonic squeaks.
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Servals are powerful, agile hunters that can leap up to 2 metres and live in grassland, woodland, and marshland.
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Servals communicate with high-pitched cries and face threats from larger predators and humans.
The serval is a distinctive member of the small cat family — slender, long-legged, with striking large oval ears. Samia arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary just under a year old, having been born at Parc des Félins. From the moment she joined us, her sweet and gentle nature was evident, and she quickly adapted to life at the Sanctuary.
In 2012, Samia became one of our successful first-time mums, giving birth to two healthy kittens, Jua and M’wezi. She proved to be a devoted mother, nurturing her young with patience and care. Today, Jua remains here at the Sanctuary, continuing Samia’s legacy, while M’wezi has moved on to another collection, helping to broaden the gene pool for this remarkable species.
Servals’ beautiful golden coats, patterned with bold spots, make them a target for the illegal fur trade, where their pelts are sometimes passed off as cheetah. While yellowish-gold is typical, they can also be melanistic (black) or leucistic (white), though white individuals are only known in captivity. Their closest relatives within the small cat family are the Caracal and African golden cat, both native to Africa. Servals have very specific habitat requirements and are often locally restricted to small ranges near watercourses.
Highly specialized hunters, servals use their long legs and extremely large ears to locate and catch prey, from rodents and hares to birds and young antelope. They are remarkable jumpers, capable of leaping up to 9 feet vertically to snatch birds in mid-flight. Unlike many African cats, servals are rarely persecuted by locals, as they avoid livestock and pose no threat to farmers. Their main modern threats are the exotic pet trade and hybridization with domestic cats to create the Savannah breed.