Following four charges in May 2024, Terrence Moore, Director of The Cat Survival Trust was found guilty of unnecessary harm to animals and was subsequently ordered to rehome the cats residing on site in Welwyn Garden City, alongside a ban preventing him from keeping any cats for a minimum of 5 years.
Working with Hertfordshire Zoo and The Big Cat Sanctuary who are currently housing 28 rescued cats whilst attempting to find them new homes, Dartmoor Zoo are proud to rehome Churchill, a serval cat, welcoming him to the site on Tuesday 21st January.
Cam Whitnall, Project Lead at The Big Cat Sanctuary commented: “Our mission is to find these cats the best possible forever homes. We only have weeks before the facility is closed for good, so we are working at speed to find them their forever homes. Unfortunately, not all will be able to be rehomed due to significant health issues, but we are committed to giving these beautiful creatures the care and dignity they deserve.”
James Cork, Head Keeper at Hertfordshire Zoo commented: “While we are dedicated to caring for these animals, our primary goal is to rehome them. In the meantime, we are focused on enhancing their quality of life by improving enclosure cleanliness, optimising their diets, and ensuring better weight management.”
Serval cats are listed at ‘least concern’ by the IUCN Red List, however, they still face a variety of threats including poaching, the illegal pet trade and habitat loss. Residing across the majority of Africa, excluding the Sahara Desert, servals prefer areas such as savannas and wetlands, where they have access to tall grasses and plenty of water. Often nicknamed as the ‘Giraffe cat’ due to their long neck and legs, the serval is very small and slender, with a tawny coat covered in black spot and stripe markings.
Dartmoor Zoo’s CEO David Gibson commented: “As soon as we found out about the situation at the Cat Survival Trust, we were very keen to see how we could help. We can’t praise the management and staff at Hertfordshire Zoo and the Big Cat Sanctuary enough for the commitment they have shown in stepping in and ensuring the welfare of the cats affected was prioritised.
We are delighted to be able to offer a new home for one of the animals and Churchill the male Serval will be a great addition to our collection. Once he has completed his quarantine he will be place into an outdoor enclosure where he will have plenty of space to display all his natural behaviours.
We’re also happy that we have managed to secure a companion for him. Churchill has very obviously had a very difficult life to date, and we are going to be working very hard to make sure that the rest of his natural life is rich, rewarding and stimulating. If anyone felt able to make a donation to help with Churchill’s continued care, we would be most grateful as it would help us preserve our precious financial resources for the conservation work we are already committed to.”
Churchill will remain in an off-show enclosure during his 30-day quarantine, giving him time to adjust to his new environment, enabling the keeper team to conduct welfare checks and monitor his behaviour during this time. A plan is then in place to move him into a spacious, outdoor enclosure with a female serval pairing from Port Lympne Zoo, a 9 ½ year old named Sabra. Further announcements will be made to the public when the pair will be available for viewing.
Turnaround for this project has been rapid, as Churchill’s welfare has been the top priority and ensuring we get him into a new and stable environment as soon as possible. Dartmoor Zoo would like to thank Hertfordshire Zoo and The Big Cat Sanctuary for their quick action and hard work during this time. If the public would like to donate towards Churchill’s continued care, they can gift a donation and support Dartmoor Zoo.