Okotoks resident Nikki Holmes was recently fined a hefty $15,000 for illegally importing two servals into Alberta.
Servals are wild cats that are native to Africa. They are skilled hunters capable of jumping high to catch prey like birds.
They also carry a mean punch that is strong enough to stun fish. Despite being the size of a medium-sized dog, servals are cunning escape artists who are hard to keep in a house.
Unfortunately, servals who escape captivity are often hit by cars or die of starvation because they don’t know how to hunt.
“Servals are listed as a controlled animal in Alberta and are illegal to import or possess except under strict permitting requirements, usually only issued for zoos,” Alberta Fish and Wildlife emailed to CBC News.
Holmes pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled animal under the provincial Wildlife Act on January 15. The serval was seized from Holmes’ home back in 2023.
“The investigation determined that Holmes had purchased the servals in British Columbia and Quebec and imported them into Alberta illegally with the intention of breeding them. As a result, Holmes has received a $15,000 fine,” wrote Alberta Fish and Wildlife in a social media post.
Greg Dunn, legal counsel for Holmes, argues that Alberta Fish and Wildlife’s claim is bogus.
Holmes herself also denies the accusations, claiming that she imported the serval to care for the animal while she received medical treatment for ongoing health issues.
“It was obviously an error in judgment for which she has paid a significant fine in addition to having her beloved serval, Vampy, seized by the authorities,” said Dunn.
Vampy doesn’t seem too bothered. The male serval has been in the Edmonton Valley Zoo’s (EVZ) care since November 2003.
“After adjusting to his new home, his personality has developed into that of a confident, sassy gentleman. We have ensured that this individual received exceptional care through the dedicated species-specific expertise of the zoo’s animal care, health and welfare teams,” wrote the EVZ in a statement.
What about the second serval? Fish and Wildlife believes the second serval was removed by Holmes before officers arrived and is at an undisclosed location in British Columbia.
Social Media Cat Craze
Holmes denies illegally importing the servals into Alberta for breeding, but her track record suggests otherwise. Before she was fined, Holmes was breeding servals in British Columbia where it is legal to own and breed them.
“Serval cats are typically bred with domestic cats to create a popular breed known as the Savannah cat,” said Dunn in a statement to CBC News.
According to Sara Dubois, chief scientific officer at the BC SPCA, serval kittens can sell for as much as $10,000 online, with many breeders looking to get their hands on the cash cats.
On the other hand, Savannah cats can cost anywhere between $1,000 and $20,000. Breeding Savannah cats is much harder than breeding servals, so many people opt to breed servals, including Holmes.
Why are servals and Savannah cats so popular in the first place? There’s no denying that these big cats are gorgeous, full of personality, and very high-maintenance.
Given their hefty price tag, Savannah cats are also seen as a status symbol, which only the well-off can afford; like the Louis Vuitton of domestic cats.
On TikTok, the search terms Savana Cat, Savanah Cat, and Serval Cat have over 386 million hits in total. TikTok users might not know how to spell, but they sure know how to get views!
Should you own a Savannah cat? The short answer is no. It takes thousands of years of selective breeding to domesticate animals.
It is estimated that it takes at least 12 generations of selective breeding to create a domesticated species. The Savannah cats being sold aren’t domesticated. They still possess their wild instinct and are tame at best.
Remember when armed police were summoned to ‘Billionaires Row’ in Hampstead, London, in 2020 because a Savannah cat escaped from its owner?
A make-up artist who lives in the area claimed the big cat killed her Bengal kitten as well as three pigeons that were left in her garden.
Our province is home to all sorts of small mammals that would make an easy meal for an escaped Savannah cat, many of which are endangered or threatened.
Savannah cats may be born in captivity, but their nature is very much wild. We have enough big cats in Alberta, we don’t need another.
