Unusual visitor for Nelspruit SPCA

A serval was among the Nelspruit SPCA's rescues this month.

April 23, 2022

Lowvelder 2 minutes read

The Nelspruit SPCA recently rescued an animal slightly out of the ordinary for the society.

On April 14, it received a call about a serval in an unoccupied house on a homestead outside Mbombela. Two employees responded and managed to safely capture the animal.

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She was kept at the SPCA overnight in a quiet enclosure covered with canvas to minimise stress. The biggest challenge, the society said, when dealing with wildlife is the stress factor, which can cause physical illness and even death.

The following day she was assessed by veterinarian Dr Chris Smith. She had some bite marks on her body and her body condition score was 2/5, which is considered very poor.

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“She is extremely skinny and malnourished. We suspect that she might have been trapped there for quite some time with no access to food. Her wounds were treated, blood samples were taken, and she was also microchipped,” the SPCA said.

She has been relocated to Wild and Free Rehabilitation Centre, where she will receive veterinary care, supplements and proper food. The rehabilitation centre’s Deidré Joubert said the serval was doing well and they have already decided on a name for her: Hayley.

“The bite marks on her leg are healing nicely and she is eating for an army! She is still in a cage so we can keep an eye on her wounds and so that she can get nice and fat. After this, we will vaccinate her for rabies and fit her with a tracking collar.”

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Joubert said once she is a little older, she will be released in a safe area.

The SPCA said it was important for it to work with veterinarians, rehabilitation centres and conser-vation authorities to provide the best possible care for all animals.

“Thank you to Dr Chris Smith of Wildlifevets.com, Chris Hobkirk of the MTPA for assisting and taking her to Hectorspruit, and to Deidré Joubert for taking care of her.”