The Problem With Servals on Social Media

In the age of social media, the allure of owning exotic pets has become extremely prevalent on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. This is especially concerning when it comes to the African serval. These cats have become victims of the exotic pet trade, and it’s getting amplified by the power of social media. These social media platforms contribute to the trade and exploitation of African servals, putting these animals at risk.

Appeal Fuels Demand

The striking appearance of African servals entices people to keep them as pets. This appeal ignores the harsh reality of owning one. Servals are undeniably beautiful animals. They have the largest ears, and longest legs of any cat, relative to their bodies, as well as interesting spots and stripes, giving them an allure to those that want an attention grabbing pet.

However, what often goes unnoticed is that servals are wild animals with specific needs and behaviors. Most people probably do not fully grasp the complex requirements of caring for a serval. Unlike domesticated cats, servals retain strong wild instincts, making them unsuitable for a household environment.

Social Media as a Marketplace

Social media platforms inadvertently serve as virtual marketplaces for the exotic pet trade, connecting buyers and sellers across borders. Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms become a medium for advertising servals for sale, creating a fairly easy process for those engaged in the exotic pet trade. The lack of regulation and oversight on these platforms makes it easier for sellers and buyers to engage in this. This allows breeders to continue their poor breeding practices and the capture of wild servals to continue.

Romanticizing Serval Ownership

Beyond just buying and selling, social media contributes to serval exploitation by showcasing owning one as an attainable thing. Influencers may present serval ownership as a glamorous and easy lifestyle, without ever showing the downsides. The general public is missing context on how these animals operate. Owning a serval is not desirable like it appears to be online.

Most people would not want one as a pet if they knew the realities of having one. The majority of our servals here at Turpentine Creek were once pets, and they all ended up with us when people realized they could no longer care for them.

The Realities of Serval Ownership

You wouldn’t want to own a serval for a variety of reasons. For one, servals are incredible at hunting. Servals catch 50% of what they hunt. If half doesn’t sound like a lot, cats like lions and tigers only catch about 10-20% of what they hunt, so a serval is very good at what they do. And if that serval was cooped up in a person’s home, it wouldn’t have an outlet for the energy it dedicates to hunting. Therefore, that serval ends up destructive and aggressive. In regards to aggression, servals have a bite force 3-4x as strong as a house cat’s, and they are not afraid to assert themselves when feeling threatened. They’re wild animals with strong instincts, and if they feel like they have to defend themselves, they will, which could put humans or other pets at risk. Another reality of having one in your home is that they spray a lot. Even after being spayed or neutered, servals mark territory with their urine about 20-40 times an hour!

Influencer’s Role

In the world of social media, influencers hold the ability to sway their followers. Influencers, knowingly or unknowingly, become conduits for these harmful practices to continue.

However, influencers can also play a role in reversing these trends. By using their platforms responsibly, influencers can raise awareness about the issues with keeping servals as pets, the legal consequences of the exotic pet trade, and the importance of preserving these wild animals in their natural habitats. Education and advocacy from influential people can shift attitudes and discourage the demand for servals as exotic pets on a bigger scale.

Environmental and Ethical Implications

The consequences of the serval trade extend beyond the individual animals. Even though they are considered Least Concern (LC) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the impact of removing servals from their natural habitats disrupts ecosystems and threatens the delicate balance of their environment. The exploitation of servals for the exotic pet trade contributes to the broader decline of biodiversity, and therefore brings up our responsibility to protect these creatures and their habitats.

Addressing the Issue

Addressing the trade and exploitation of African servals requires a complex approach. Advocacy groups, wildlife conservation organizations, and concerned individuals can continue to raise awareness about servals being unsuitable as pets and the implications of the exotic pet trade.

Legislation and regulations must adapt to creating policies for social media to attempt to stop harmful practices like this. Stricter controls on the sale and advertising of exotic animals, coupled with increased penalties for those engaging in illegal practices, can serve as deterrents and protect servals from exploitation.

Social media platforms themselves bear a responsibility in combating the trade and exploitation of servals. Implementing stricter policies against the promotion and sale of exotic pets, enhanced reporting mechanisms for users to flag activities, and collaborations with wildlife conservation organizations can help reduce the amount of videos out there that promote this behavior.

It’s not always easy to report the videos you see, but go ahead and try if you see a video of people interacting with a serval. It at least brings attention to the problem, and hopefully in some time, we would be able to see more reporting mechanisms in place. The biggest thing one could do is making sure they don’t like, share, or send these videos, as that shows those creators and platforms that it’s okay to continue it.