Rehabilitated serval released back into the wild
“This little guy came from the Fort Nottingham area and we have returned him to the same area.”
Animals are magnificent and beautiful creatures and it is heartwarming when an endangered species is released back into the wild.
Almost a year ago, a severely injured serval cat was found in the vicinity of Fort Nottingham in the Midlands.
Suffering from head trauma, the serval was taken to FreeMe Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre near Howick where for the past 11 months it has been undergoing rehabilitation.
When it was admitted to the centre for sick, injured or orphaned wildlife, it weighed a mere 840 grams, and now, after 306 days, its weight has soared to 12 kilograms. This is testimony to the excellent care offered by the members of the animal sanctuary
Wade Whitehead, CEO of FreeMe, said that the serval has undergone a difficult journey to regain its health.
“It was a bit of a rough start. He came in with head trauma, the cause of which was unknown. He did not have very good vision and had neurological symptoms where he had no balance. We had to deal with this at the very beginning,” said Whitehead.
Whitehead added that they had to gradually wean the serval onto solid food.
“With the neurological symptoms we had to get him onto food. At first it was milk and then solids which is always a challenge with servals. The serval, which is a threatened or protected species, is something we specialise in at FreeMe,” said Whitehead.
He said that the journey took an upward trajectory after initial challenges.
“We keep them in care for about one year, give or take a few months. The reason for this is to give them time to develop their skills; from developing their senses as well as hunting and jumping abilities. He has worked on these skills over the past months.
“Once we are satisfied that the animal can survive in the wild on its own with all these skills, it is then time for him to go back into the wild. We normally release them when they are a year old because this is around the age that the mother will release them into the wild and they need to fend for themselves. We try to stick to the rules of nature and we work within that guideline,” said Whitehead.
Whitehead said the serval will be returned to where it was found.
“We normally return wildlife to the point of origin, so wherever it came from, we try to return it to the same place. It is important genetically to do this. This little guy came from the Fort Nottingham area and we have returned him to the same area,” said Whitehead.
Whitehead added that the serval will have to adapt to the area over the next few weeks.
“We did what we call a hard release. We take him there and open the transport crate and he runs out into the wild. What we do is feed him for the next two or three weeks after release, at the point of release because that is his only point of reference.
“As he orientates himself over the first two to three weeks by learning about his surroundings, where the food is and how to hunt in his new environment, we supplement his feed to give him the best chance to survive in the wild. Once the three weeks are up, he is on his own and he has to look for his own food,” said Whitehead.
Whitehead also thanked those involved in the rerelease of the serval into the wild.
“I want to thank Foundation Brigette Bardot. They play an important role as they sponsor the animal care costs,” said
Whitehead.