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    - Photo via National Geographic and Costa Rica Animal Shelter -
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Published on Tuesday, October 17,
2023
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff and wire services
Rescuers from the Costa Rica Animal Shelter in San José's Santa Ana Canton discovered an abandoned male serval wild cat (Leptailurus serval) native to Africa.
According to the nonprofit organization, the animal was found inside a transport cage abandoned close to the shelter's front door on Monday.
They said that the cat was in bad physical condition, filthy, and scared.
The vets at the shelter examined the cat to assess its health. He is a young feline weighing about 5 kilograms.
Following that, the case was submitted to the National Animal Health Service, the National System of Conservation Areas, and the Judicial Investigation Organization to be processed as part of the inquiry into how this animal entered the country.
Because this is the first sighting of this sort of wild animal in Costa Rica, it is assumed that the animal was brought in by its owners.
The serval is widespread in sub-Saharan countries in Africa, except rainforest regions.
It is a slender, medium-sized cat that stands 54–62 centimeters (21–24 inches) at the shoulder and weighs 9–18 kilograms (20–40 pounds). It is characterized by a small head, large ears, a golden-yellow to buff coat spotted and striped with black, and a short, black-tipped tail. The serval has the longest legs of any cat relative to its body size.
The
serval is a solitary carnivore and
active both by day and at night. It
preys on rodents, particularly vlei
rats, small birds, frogs, insects, and
reptiles, using its sense of hearing
to locate prey. The
National Animal Health
Service (Senasa) is the
official agency in charge of
investigating animal cruelty
complaints, whether from
domestic or production
animals. The public
organization set up the
complaint line 2587-1600. Complaints
against wild animal
captivity or cruelty can be
reported to the National
System of Conservation Areas
(SINAC), the institution in
charge of managing all of
the country's national
parks. SINAC made two
complaint lines available:
2258-0035 and 2258-1673.
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