The serval was caught Saturday inside an Escondido home.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — For the second time in just a few months, a serval has been captured in North County.
Law enforcement officers with the San Diego County Humane Society caught the wild cat inside an Escondido home over the weekend.
It happened Saturday night.
Pictures show the serval perched up on a bathroom counter, and later, on the floor.
After the homeowner called Escondido police, officers got in touch with the Humane Society.
Its officers were able to bait the serval using wet cat food and chicken.
The serval was housed in Escondido for the night, and then transported to Project Wildlife Ramona.
“We get a lot of animals in, but we don’t get servals very often. We don’t get animals like that,” said Andy Blue, director of Project Wildlife in Ramona.
Blue says except for a glue trap stuck on its side, it appears to be in good health, but is clearly frightened.
His staff hasn’t been able to do an exam, meaning they’re not sure what sex the serval is or where it came from, though based on where it was found, it’s believed to be domesticated.
“We’re leaving it alone as much as we can to get it settled in and to get it to be comfortable,” said Blue.
Coincidentally, News 8 did a series of stories this past September about a lost serval roaming people’s properties in North County.
It had escaped a home in Harmony Grove and was eventually caught in Rancho Penasquitos six weeks later and reunited with its owners.
At the time, its owners told News 8 they purchased the male serval named Pharoah in Tennessee, claiming they thought it was an F-1, a hybrid between a domesticated cat and a serval.
Full servals are illegal to own in California without a special permit.
News 8 has since messaged the owners several times asking if the serval captured this weekend is theirs, but so far, have gotten no response.
Fish and Wildlife is looking into the case.
In the meantime, the serval is safe and well cared for.
“It’s not good to be in the wild. So, I’m happy our Humane law enforcement was able to catch it,” said Blue.
Project Wildlife is working with fish and game to determine what will happen next, including finding the serval a permanent home.
WATCH RELATED: Missing serval captured in Rancho Penasquitos taken back home after missing for 6 weeks (September 2021)
