Servals are medium-sized African wild cats famed for their extraordinary leaping ability and specialist hunting technique. Though not globally endangered, their welfare in the wild is threatened by habitat loss, the illegal pet trade, and human-wildlife conflict.
Wild serval welfare is threatened primarily by habitat degradation and the pet trade. As specialists of tall grassland and wetland edges, servals are disproportionately affected by the draining of African wetlands and conversion of open savannah to farmland. Human-wildlife conflict occurs where servals prey on poultry; retaliatory killing is a significant mortality cause in some areas. In captivity, servals kept as pets suffer profoundly: they require vast territories, specialised diets, and social isolation from domestic animals and humans to avoid chronic stress. The exotic pet trade involves cruel capture methods in the wild and exposes servals to shipping stress, inappropriate housing, and inadequate nutrition in private hands. Conservation breeding programmes for species reintroduction must be distinguished from the pet trade, which has no conservation value.