Carole Baskin criticises pet store 256 Exotics

Carole Baskin has weighed in on the story of two African servals on the loose in Alabama. As you probably know, Carole Baskin is the founder and owner of Big Cat Rescue (BCR), in Florida. In a Facebook post, she has asked people to file a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) complaint against a Huntsville-based pet store called 256 Exotics (2421 Winchester Rd NE, Huntsville, AL 35811, United States). The store owner had reported that two servals were missing from a barn on her property. As at 16 September 2021, the servals had not been recaptured.

Serval. Image: Pixabay.

Baskin wants the USDA to seize the exotic cats at the pet store and send them to legitimate sanctuaries where they are not bred and where they cannot be bought by the public.

Associated page: Serval leaps vertically about 9 feet from a static start (and info about living with servals)

She also stated that Alabama regulations state that although dogs and cats need to be vaccinated against rabies there is no approved rabies vaccine for any of the exotic cat species. Vaccines have only been tested on domestic dogs and cats.

Also, she stated that it is clearly illegal to release servals into America because they are non-native to that country. They come from Africa so they're going to be stuck in an enclosure or a cage for the rest of their lives. Under these circumstances, it is only fair right that they live out their lives in a legitimate and well-run sanctuary.

The owner of the pet store mention said that the servals are being tracked and they believe that they are near the store.

Servals not infrequently escape their captivity which could be a person's home or an enclosure. You will find that there are a good number of stores on the Internet about servals escaping. Often, they end up being killed by the authorities because they are dangerous or believed to be dangerous to the public. In fact, domesticated servals are not really dangerous. There will tend to be fearful of people and won't attack anybody unless they are provoked.