Serval on the loose in Gelderland village
A serval is on the loose in the Gelderland town of Haaften, the West Betuwe police warned on social media. The police urged locals to keep their distance from the feline and contact the police or animal ambulance if they spot it.
“Mind your own safety,” the police wrote on Instagram, along with a photo of the serval.
The animal is wearing a collar, and the police are also looking for its owner.
A community police officer told De Gelderlander that they received the last reports of the serval on Saturday. He believes the animal is roaming in Haaften’s rural area.
Servals are wild predators, but generally pose no danger to people. Still, the animal can be aggressive and attack when feeling cornered or scared, so the police urged caution.
In July 2024, the Dutch government limited which exotic pets people can keep in the Netherlands, implementing a limit of 30 allowed species. Servals are not among them.
People who already had a serval when the new law took effect can keep it until the end of the animal’s life. They’re also allowed to sell or give the animal away, but are not allowed to release the serval into the wild.
