Dangerous African wild cat found during drugs raid in Biggin Hill

The dangerous serval was confiscated during a drugs raid
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A dangerous African wild cat was discovered during a drugs raid by police in Biggin Hill.

The serval, whose spotted coat resembles a leopard or cheetah, is believed to have been illegally bred or imported into the UK.

Council vets were called to confiscate the cat — often seen as a status symbol — under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act, which requires owners of certain animals and reptiles to have a £636 licence and follow strict rules for keeping them.

Servals, widespread in wetlands of sub-Saharan countries, can grow to 2ft tall and weigh up to 40lb. Their coat, long legs, small head, large ears and a black-tipped tail make them almost impossible to spot in tall grass in their habitat. Natural instincts to hunt, swim, run and climb mean the animals are not considered safe domestic pets.

Owners are warned not to leave them with children because they play using sharp teeth and claws.

The serval cat which was found during a drugs raid

Kate Lymer, Bromley council’s executive for public protection and enforcement, said: “Licensing exists to protect individuals and animals. If an owner meets the criteria we will license prior to them obtaining the wild animal.

Serval cats

Height: 21–24in

Weight: 20–40lb

Age: Can live to 20 (five years longer than a domestic cat) 

Leap: 10 feet 

Prey: insects, rodents, birds, lizards; will also hunt small antelope and gazelle

Lives: sub-Saharan countries 

History: shown as gifts or traded objects in ancient Egyptian art

Young: females are pregnant for 73 days and produce a litter of one to five kittens.

Source: BBC, BigCatRescue

“Keeping an exotic animal is not the same as a domestic pet — they have special diets and needs with natural instincts that must be met, for example. Many wild animals, like the serval cat, are seen by some as a status symbol.

In 2017, a family with two young children in Oldham became the first in Britain to adopt a serval. Kelly, then 28, and Seb Jones, 29, allowed nine-month-old Anubis to sleep on their bed at night. Their local council granted a dangerous animal licence which meant the cat had to be kept on a lead and live in a secured outdoor area with CCTV.

Music producer Mally Mall, 41, was attacked by his serval which turnedon him at his home in Las Vegas in 2014.

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