A serval is a smaller version of the leopard. At about 10kg
top weight it is a small a lithe hunter and is rarely seen. They are
crepuscular and are seen in twilight at best of times and that if at all. In
places with high leopard and lion concentrations they may not be seen at all. A
shy elusive and yet beautiful cat.
I had the joy of seeing them and taking a few pictures in
the highlands of Natal and also just north of Pretoria on a game reserve. In
Natal in the twilight I was lucky to find two sub adults playing on the road
and next to the road. The rhinos that were hardly 15 mtrs away were
ignominiously ignored in favour of the two youngsters.
North of Pretoria in a place where predator concentration
are particularly low it was the middle of the day, literally at lunch time; and
we had sandwiches and serval for lunch. Ha!
The African wild cat, the serval, the caracal, the civet,
the genet, all these are the rarely seen crepuscular and nocturnal predators.
Rarely seen and even more rarely photographed.
Come and explore Africa!
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