Servals are slender, long-legged African wildcats requiring large, varied enclosures with hunting enrichment to maintain welfare and natural behavioral expression in captivity.
Serval welfare in zoos requires enclosures large enough for territory patrol behaviors and substrate diversity including tall grass for hunting ambush behavior. Prey-simulation enrichment using live insects, feather toys mimicking birds, and food hidden in substrate engages their highly specialized hunting repertoire. Their solitary nature means single housing is appropriate outside of breeding. Private ownership of servals as pets is inappropriate — their complex needs cannot be met in domestic settings.