Servals are medium-sized wild cats from African savannahs increasingly kept as exotic pets and displayed in zoos. Their specialised hunting behaviour and large territory requirements make their welfare extremely challenging to meet in captivity.
Servals kept as exotic pets face profound welfare challenges. Their large ranging behaviour, specialist hunting motivation, and wild temperament mean that domestic environments — even large ones — cannot meet their needs. Hand-reared servals may appear manageable as cubs but become dangerous and frustrating to care for as adults. Most eventually require sanctuary placement after owners cannot cope. In zoo settings, servals require large naturalistic enclosures with tall grass simulation, varied terrain, and live prey enrichment that allows expression of their remarkable hunting behaviour. The exotic pet trade in servals drives demand that contributes to wild capture and unsustainable captive breeding. Most welfare organisations strongly oppose serval keeping as companion animals.