BC SPCA pushes for serval cat ban
Posted February 17, 2023 4:53 pm.
Last Updated February 17, 2023 4:54 pm.
Remember that exotic serval cat that was running loose around Shaughnessy last May? Well, it looks like that’s not just a Vancouver problem.
The BC SPCA has written a letter to the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN), asking it to support a provincial ban on serval cat ownership after a pair of cats got loose near Nanaimo and killed a smaller pet.
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The SPCA says there are several serval cat breeders on Vancouver Island and throughout the province, which sell the exotic cats for around $10,000.
Despite the booming business around the big cats, the SPCA says servals don’t make good pets, and owners often can’t care for their complex needs.
The letter cites a major 2019 investigation near Kamloops in which 13 serval cats in distress were seized. It also cites an advocacy campaign that saw 8,000 people support a ban on the animals.
Further, the society notes that there are no wild cat sanctuaries in Canada, meaning any cats that are seized have to be exported to the United States. It’s something the SPCA says is not sustainable.
“Local animal bylaws are key to reducing community risk from exotic animals, both from a public safety and public health and disease perspective. Yet, as seen in the RDN, such bylaws do not cover the whole province and exotic animals like servals will continue to be bred and sold until a provincial solution is brought forward,” the SPCA letter reads.
Nanaimo says it’ll push for the provincial ban at the Union of BC municipalities, which the SPCA hopes will prompt “immediate action” from the provincial government.
