Serval missing from Vysočina petting zoo near Prague: police say

A female serval, a small wild cat native to Africa, has gone missing from a petting zoo in the Vapovice area of Vysočina. According to police, the owners found the cage empty the previous evening, and by Thursday the animal had still not been found.

The owners came to look after the animals and saw that the cage was empty. They contacted police at around 9:30 p.m. Officers from the Telč station went to the scene overnight, inspected the petting zoo and warned the mayor so she could inform residents. On Thursday morning they returned to the investigation.

Police spokeswoman Dana Čírtková said it cannot be ruled out that someone broke into the petting zoo and let the predator out, or even stole her. It is not yet known whether the serval is roaming free. According to the owners, she is not dangerous to humans but may hunt pets and birds.

Ecologist Aleš Vorel from the Department of Ecology at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague noted that animals raised in captivity behave differently. He does not know the specific circumstances of this case and does not expect panic, but a predator used to people may behave unusually. Wild predators avoid humans, whereas animals from breeding facilities often associate people with food and may approach more closely, so a dangerous situation cannot be ruled out. In the ecologist's view, a serval can survive in the wild even in the current cool weather.

Police urge caution in the forests around Vapovice, all the more so because the mushroom season is still under way in Vysočina. Anyone who spots the animal should call 158; they can also notify the municipal office or the petting zoo's owners.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz