The serval that escaped in Reinbek in July has been moved to the Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center run by the German Animal Welfare Federation. The animal had previously been kept illegally and escaped from its owners. After several days on the loose in the village and a night-time capture operation, the male cat named “Balean” was initially housed at the Reinbek animal shelter. However, due to his special needs, he could not stay there permanently.
“In order to provide Balean with animal-friendly accommodation, we will have to carry out extensive and costly renovation work in the coming year,” explains Patrick Boncourt, deputy manager of the Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center. “These measures are only possible thanks to donations from animal lovers. Neither the state nor breeders or dealers contribute to the costs incurred by the insufficiently regulated keeping of exotic animals.”
QUESTIONABLE BREEDING WITH AFRICAN WILD CATS
The Savannah cat “Atary,” who was recently taken in by the Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center following a death, will also benefit from the planned renovations. Savannah cats are crosses between servals and domestic cats that are sold at high prices—a questionable trend that is driving demand for servals: African wildcats are increasingly being traded on the exotic animal market for breeding purposes. However, breeding hybrids poses significant animal welfare problems and is therefore rejected by the German Animal Welfare Federation.
Legally, hybrid cats up to and including the fourth generation are to be treated as wild cats and are subject to the same husbandry requirements that apply to zoos. Among other things, they require large aviaries. Keeping them exclusively indoors or allowing them to roam freely in the neighborhood is not permitted. In several German states, servals, caracals, and other exotic wild cats are also on the list of dangerous animals and may only be kept with a permit or under strict conditions.
