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Rescued Servals

Servals at the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary

Servals are wild cats native to Africa, where the biggest threats to their survival are habitat loss and poaching. They have also become involved in the exotic pet trade through being kept as illegal pets, and due to the rise in popularity of hybrid pet cats known as “Savannah” cats. You can find out more about what we’re doing to help on our SERVIVAL webpage.

Our Sanctuary is home to two rescued servals, called Xirus and Isax. Xirus and his brother, Tafkap, were originally bred for the illegal pet trade in the Czech Republic and smuggled into France where they were found living in a small apartment. After being cared for by our rescue partners at AAP (Animal Advocacy and Protection) in Holland, Tafkap and Xirus arrived in 2021.

In August 2024, we sadly lost Tafkap to an unexpected illness, leaving Xirus on his own. Servals are a naturally solitary species, but as brothers Tafkap and Xirus were able to share one habitat. Our animal care team decided to find a companion for Xirus, and that’s when they heard about Isax, a female serval living at AAP. Isax arrived at our Sanctuary in May 2025, and we are hoping to gradually introduce her and Xirus to each other over the coming months!

Find out more about World Serval Day

Xirus

serval

Conservation Status: Least Concern

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Xirus arrived at the Sanctuary in November 2021 with his brother Tafkap. The boys had a rough start to life, having been smuggled into France from the Czech Republic before being rescued by AAP (Animal Advocacy and Protection) in Holland.

In August 2024, we sadly lost Xirus’ brother to an unexpected illness. Our animal care team decided that it would be best for Xirus to find him a companion, and that’s when we heard about Isax, a female serval living at AAP.

Our visitors may notice that Xirus walks with a slight limp, which is due to the injuries he was found with when he was rescued. This rolling gait is likely something that Xirus will always have, but it doesn’t seem to slow him down at all.

Isax

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Isax is a female serval who was previously kept in the house of a private owner. After she was confiscated by the Spanish authorities, she went to live at AAP Primadomus in Alicante, a rescue centre run by the European animal welfare organisation AAP (Animal Advocacy and Protection).

During her time at AAP, Isax was introduced to another serval called Nela, and the two lived happily together until Nela sadly passed away. When we heard that Isax was looking for company, we got in touch with AAP to see if she could come to live with our male serval, Xirus.

Servals are a naturally solitary species, but as Isax and Xirus were both used to living with another serval, it was decided that introducing them to each other would be beneficial to them both. This move also frees up valuable space at AAP Primadomus for another rescued animal needing rehabilitation.