An unusual-looking cat running wild on Missouri farmland was humanely trapped by a farmer who discovered, with the help of a wildlife refuge, that this was no local species but an African serval. The cat had survived for months, despite the cold weather, but now has a safe place to call home.
Tanya Smith, president of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, was contacted on Jan. 17. by an Ozark Mountains farmer near Ava, Missouri. Within an hour, the team at Turpentine Creek had their rescue gear loaded and were on the road. The farmer had set up a humane trap on Jan. 14 and successfully caught the cat after just 12 hours, having spotted her several times over the past six months.
