Female serval cat joins rescued male at Dartmoor zoo

A female serval cat is the latest arrival at Dartmoor Zoo and is joining a male which was rescued.

Sabra has just moved to the zoo from Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent as a mate for Churchill, who arrived in Devon in January.

The pair had been introduced in their new enclosure and Dartmoor Zoo said Sabra seemed “calm, relaxed and in good spirits” after her move, staff said.

The keeper team would monitor the animals, which are often nicknamed the “giraffe cat” because of their long necks and legs, they added.

Dartmoor Zoo CEO David Gibson said the team was excited by Sabra’s arrival.

He said: “We plan for both Sabra and Churchill to live out the rest of their lives in peace surrounded by the beautiful Devon countryside.”

He said the pair have an enclosure designed to give them “a spacious, engaging environment”.

Mr Gibson said Churchill was rescued after the Cat Survival Trust in Hertfordshire closed down after its owner was prosecuted for animal welfare and licensing breaches.

Serval cats are listed as “least concern” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of endangered species.

They do face risks from poaching, the illegal pet trade and habitat loss in savannahs and wetlands in Africa where they came from, said the zoo.

It is asking visitors to be “calm and quiet” near their enclosure near other cats, as they adjust to their new home.

Sabra has been living at Port Lympne since 2020, where zoological director Simon Jeffery said the team were “sad to see Sabra go, but happy she is able to be teamed up with a rescued male”.