Serval – pixabay
The serval was rescued from a private home in the canton of Aargau and is now in a biopark in Geneva.
Servals are wild African cats that are becoming increasingly popular as pets thanks to social media.
But the Federal Veterinary Office warns that they cannot be tamed and a permit is required for private keeping in Switzerland.
This is the second time that the serval ended up in private hands. In 2018, one escape in Basel.
Biopark’s Christina Messner says people buy wild animals as objects and don’t realize what a miserable life it is for them.
The international trade in big cats seems to be booming. Last year, 12 people were found to be illegally detained in Lyon, France.
