The case in summary Serval Niño is currently being cared for in Kristiansand zoo, but the park does not want him permanently. Kristiansand zoo wants to prioritize animals that are part of a conservation program, and thinks Niño is not suitable for this. Tangen Zoo has applied to relocate Niño to their park. It is still uncertain whether Niño will be euthanized. Niño was first observed in Bjørnafjorden in 2023, and the owner was reported to the police for illegally introducing the animal. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has not responded today to what is happening with Niño. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – It is doing perfectly well, is well looked after and has a decent amount of space, so everything is fine with it, says Rolf-Arne Ølberg, who is a veterinarian and responsible for animal science at Kristiansand Zoo. Yesterday it became known that the Norwegian Food Safety Authority is trying to relocate the serval Niño, but that it is still uncertain whether the animal will be killed. The animal park in Kristiansand has previously considered accepting the serval as a temporary solution. Ølberg confirms that the serval is with them now. – We have been helpful in holding the serval for the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, so that they can calm down in the matter and make their assessments. We have agreed to help, to ensure that the serval will be well, while the case is ongoing. Serval Niño walked along the street at Os in Bjørnafjorden. Since then, it has been uncertain what will happen to him. Photo: STEFFEN LJOSHEIM / STEFFEN LJOSHEIM Don’t want him permanently Serval Niño was first observed at Os in Bjørnafjorden in June 2023. This triggered a police hunt for the animal, and shortly afterwards the owner was reported to the police. She pleaded guilty to complicity in the introduction of the serval in violation of the Natural Diversity Act. In the interview, she said that she had Niño in December 2021, and that it was born in Russia. Video from when the serval was first found. Video: Steffen Ljosheim There has been talk of killing the illegally imported African feline, but the animal protection organization Noah has thought that it is right to relocate the animal. After the owner was charged and prosecuted, he had to go to court. She has lived in hiding with the serval for a long time, but this was found when the owner was arrested in September this year. – This is not an animal we want to have on a permanent basis. But, we have said we are willing to look after the serval, until a solution is eventually found, says Ølberg. Kristiansand zoo wants to prioritize animals that are part of a conservation program, and believes the serval is not suitable for this. – This is a neutered, tame serval, it is not threatened in Africa. If we were to have servals, we would have servals that have grown up with servals, and that could have young. Have applied to have the serval Yesterday, section chief Kjerstin Helene Kolvik Iversen wrote to news that the Norwegian Food Safety Authority is in favor of relocating the feline. The serval owner’s lawyer, Roy André Håkonsen Arteid, then said that relocation was the only right thing to do. news has been given access to a document in which the veterinarian at the Tangen zoo in Inlandet writes that they have applied to have the serval. The document states that they are willing to create a safe habitat for the serval, which can stand as an example they can use to teach that exotic animals should not be a commodity. They also write that they disagree that the serval should be killed. Erik Nielsen, who owns the zoo, confirms that they have applied. – Our vet has been in contact with the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. An application must be submitted, and it has been done. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has sent inquiries to several zoos, and I have responded to them. Tangen Zoo has over 200 animals and around 30 species. Nielsen says that they are in dialogue with the Norwegian Food Safety Authority about how the serval can be taken care of, and that their veterinarian is working on this. – I have only said that I am interested. He states that they would like to help the serval. – There was talk of him being euthanized. So it was to avoid being able to euthanize, if no solution can be found. But there was also talk of him being sent abroad. Facts about the serval The serval is a predatory species in the cat family. The feline is widespread in Africa, south of the Sahara. It occurs in savannas, preferably in connection with water. It has a slender body with long legs, a small head, a relatively long neck and large, rounded ears. The fur is orange-brown with a pattern of black spots. It has yellowish eyes with elongated pupils. The body length is 70–100 cm, the tail 35–40 cm and it weighs up to 20 kilos. Normally a serval animal up to 200-300 grams. Source: Great Norwegian Lexicon and the Norwegian Environment Agency Illegal trade is a problem The serval is currently in quarantine in Kristiansand zoo, and cannot be seen by the public. In the long term, Ølberg believes that it is not wrong to relocate the serval to another zoo. – For an animal like this, it is very wrong to live in a flat. Now he is probably affected by humans and is very tame, but you cannot make arrangements for the needs of such a cat in an apartment. This is not an animal that can be owned as a pet. He believes the animal will be fine if an enclosure is made that is suitable for servals, which is stimulating and provides the opportunity for natural behaviour. Rolf-Arne Ølberg is a veterinarian and responsible for animal science at Kristiansand Zoo. He says that to think that such an animal as the serval should be able to do well in an apartment is not right, and that the owner of the serval has done something very wrong. Photo: Tom Nicolai Kolstad / news – What the previous owner has done is not good. Unfortunately, there are some who want to have wild animals as pets, which are not suitable as pets. – Illegal trade in animals is a major problem around the world, and contributes to the fact that many species are now endangered. It is also a big problem for the individual animals, who usually receive poor animal welfare. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has not replied to news’s e-mail on Wednesday about what is happening with the serval. Published 16.10.2024, at 15.19
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Kristiansand zoo takes care of the serval Niño, and Tangen zoo has applied to take in the serval – news Vestland
