Roger Williams Park Zoo gets its second serval, hoping they lead to kittens

PROVIDENCE − Roger Williams Park and Zoo has a new exotic cat, part of a breed featured in Ancient Egyptian artwork and even kept by Egyptians as glamorous pets -- an African serval.

Sav, a 14-year-old male serval, will soon join female Velma, who arrived at the zoo last year and was its first serval.

"We are hoping that he and Velma hit it off and have offspring," said Vicki Scharfberg, the zoo's director of marketing and public relations.

Servals are part of the zoo's 20-year plan, but Velma's arrival last year from a distressed breeder in California came sooner than expected and prompted the zoo to launch a $346,000 fundraising campaign to build a serval home.

Sav came from the Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro. He has just three legs due to an accident as a kitten, according to Scharfberg. He arrived last week and, after a period of quarantine, will be introduced to Velma, she said.

More: Roger Williams Park Zoo hustles to raise money and build home for new arrival

Servals are medium-sized wild cats that can be found in most parts of Africa, according to the African Wildlife Foundation. They're carnivores and considered excellent hunters, aided by long legs that let them see over savanna grasses and large ears that provide them with an "acute sense of hearing," the foundation says.

"Servals eat a great variety of prey, including rodents, birds, reptiles, frogs, and insects. They catch much of their prey by leaping high into the air and pouncing," the wildlife foundation says. "They have also been seen using their long forelimbs to reach into burrows or to hook fish out of the water. They are quite successful hunters and seldom eat carrion.

Described by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance as "super sleek," servals are medium-sized cats with long, slender legs, lean bodies, short tails and small heads. "Their extra-long neck and legs give them the nickname 'giraffe cat,'" the alliance says. There are only about 150 in U.S. zoos.

Ancient Egyptians weren't the only ones attracted to the exotic appearance and impressive athleticism of servals. Some in the United States have kept or tried keeping, them as pets, but it's illegal in most states, including Rhode Island.

Some breeders cross servals with domestic cats to produce what are called Savannah cats, which also have wild tendencies and are illegal in Rhode Island. In 2017, a Savanna cat was taken into state custody after it went inside a Cranston home and attacked a domestic cat.

For Rhode Islanders interested in getting a good look at a serval, the zoo hopes to have the two cats in their new building by March, Scharfberg said, and visible to guests in the new building and outdoor habitat by April.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence zoo gets its second exotic serval