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African Servals On The Loose In Qualicum Beach

Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 9:34 AM

By Jay Herrington

The owners of the two servals said their gate requires a bolt and hammer to unlock it, which makes it unlikely the servals opened it on their own. (submitted photo)

Residents in Qualicum Beach remain on edge, as an escaped African serval cat remains on the loose.

Residents in Qualicum Beach remain on edge, as an escaped African serval cat remains on the loose.

The cat - and her male partner - escaped from their enclosure on Sunday.

Their owners believe someone let the cats loose in an attempt to steal the animals - worth about $200,000 each - or simply set them free.

While the male has been captured and is back home, the female, who is pregnant, is still out there.

The BC SPCA says the servals have killed at least one domestic cat, with residents worried about their kids walking to school, or for smaller pets out for a walk.

Servals are not regulated under Controlled Alien Species regulations, meaning they can be lawfully owned as pets in B.C.

The BC SPCA has been pushing for exotic pet laws which would keep people from owning the animals.

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The word "éy7á7juuthem" means “Language of our People” and is the ancestral tongue of the Homalco, Tla’amin, Klahoose and K’ómoks First Nations, with dialectic differences in each community.

It is pronounced "eye-ya-jooth-hem."