The serval cat that was rescued a few days ago is being treated in the Beijing Wildlife Park, and its vital signs are stable

Beijing News Express (reporter Zhang Lu) Recently, the animal protection community rescued a serval cat in Fangshan, which is distributed in the savannahs of western, central and eastern Africa. The reporter learned from the Beijing Municipal Landscaping Bureau today (September 16) that at present, the serval cat has been sent to the Beijing Wild Animal Park Rescue Station in Daxing District for professional treatment, and its vital signs are stable. In the later stage, it will be raised by the Beijing Wildlife Rescue Center.

Serval cats may have fled after being bred without permission

At the end of August this year, the animal protection community rescued a serval cat near Fangshan Shidu. The serval cat is shaped like a small cheetah with a slender torso and limbs. According to the rescue team staff, the serval cat is half a meter high and nearly one meter long, and there are no external injuries on the surface of the body. The animal inhabits the savannahs of western, central and eastern Africa. Although it is an alien species, it is approved as a national second-level key protected animal for protection and management in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora, which China has acceded to.

After receiving the capture of the serval cat, the Municipal Landscaping Bureau urgently verified the presence of the serval cat in the breeding and utilization units of the city's wild animals. No serval cat escapes. Zhang Zhiming, director of the Wildlife and Wetland Protection Division of the Municipal Landscaping Bureau, told reporters that the serval cat found in the wild may have escaped after unauthorized breeding, or it may have been abandoned after private breeding or "released" in the wild without authorization.

At present, this serval cat has been sent to the Beijing Wild Animal Park Rescue Station in Daxing District for professional treatment, and its vital signs are stable. In the later stage, it will be raised by the Beijing Wildlife Rescue Center.

According to Hu Yan, deputy director of the Beijing Wildlife Rescue Center, on September 2, the serval cat was officially rescued. Because the Beijing Wildlife Rescue Center was renovating the cage, it was sent to the Beijing Wild Animal Park Rescue Station in Daxing District for professional treatment. Veterinarians first examined the serval cats and found no abnormalities. After the first change of environment, the serval cat had some stressful behavior, and on the third day the serval cat began to feed, and the staff fed the serval cat minced rabbit leg meat. "At present, the serval cat is in good condition, and with behaviors such as stretching the waist, it proves that the serval cat has adapted to the environment." He said that in the future, serval cats are not recommended to be released into the wild, and may be used for scientific research display and education in safari parks.

Deng Wenhong, a professor at Beijing Normal University, told reporters that the body length of the serval cat is about 60 centimeters, which is larger than the domestic cat, and it looks good, which belongs to the larger size of the small and medium-sized cats. According to CCTV's popular science program, the serval cat jumps very high and is the "high jump champion" among the animals. Serval cats eat rodents and have also caught antelopes in herds, and serval cats also eat birds, spitting out bird feathers after eating. Deng Wenhong said that the serval cat is aggressive, and when people are in close contact with it, it is likely to attack people. If the serval cat forms a population in Beijing, it will definitely affect other cats such as the Beijing leopard cat.

At present, the serval cat has been sent to the Beijing Wild Animal Park Rescue Station in Daxing District for professional treatment. Courtesy of Beijing Municipal Landscaping Bureau

The number of "exotic pets" rescued by Beijing has increased, and foreign species account for one-fifth

In recent years, the number of abandoned, lost, confiscated by law enforcement agencies, and various types of "exotic pets" voluntarily sent by citizens has increased year by year, including many exotic species, especially since this year, the number of alien species receiving rescue has accounted for nearly one-fifth of the total number of rescues received, occupying a large number of human and material resources of ambulance units.

With no legal source and no quarantine, these exotic animals are highly likely to carry pathogenic microorganisms and parasites, and some ferocious or poisonous animals may also harm people, posing health risks to breeders and communities. At the same time, these alien species have no natural distribution in Beijing, and after escaping or being released at will, they may die tragically, or even form biological invasions, causing serious damage to the ecological environment of the capital. The escape of some snakes, beasts of prey, etc. will also cause panic among the citizens.

The Regulations on the Protection and Administration of Wild Animals of Beijing Municipality (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations"), promulgated and implemented in 2020, have clear provisions on the domestication, breeding, trading, transportation, etc. of wild animals, and for wild animals listed in the list of wildlife under key protection of the state and Beijing Municipality and the list of terrestrial wild animals with important ecological, scientific and social value, artificial breeding is limited to special circumstances such as scientific research, species protection, medicinal use, and display, and the applicant body is limited to units.

The Regulations explicitly prohibit individuals from carrying out wild animal breeding without authorization, and also stipulate that it is forbidden to carry out free release activities without authorization. Those who fail to engage in artificial breeding of wild animals in accordance with regulations will be fined between 20,000 and 100,000 yuan, and those who carry out release activities without authorization will be fined between 2,000 and 10,000 yuan, and if a crime is constituted, criminal responsibility will also be pursued in accordance with law.

correlation

The arrival of the migratory bird migration period will increase monitoring equipment to strictly prevent indiscriminate hunting

With the arrival of the migratory bird migration period in autumn and winter, Beijing will strengthen field patrols and guards in the main distribution areas of wild animals, wintering grounds, breeding grounds, migratory stops, migration and flight passages, and other wildlife swarm activity areas, and strictly prevent illegal acts of indiscriminate hunting and destruction of migratory birds and other wildlife habitats by increasing personnel strength, increasing monitoring equipment, and strengthening publicity and guidance.

The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscaping and Landscaping calls on the public not to raise "exotic pets" at will, and to jointly establish an ecological and environmental awareness of "no contact, no disturbance, and no harm" of wild animals, and to report to the competent department of wildlife in a timely manner if wild animals are injured.

background

Since the beginning of this year, Beijing has rescued more than 2,300 wild animals

It is understood that since the beginning of this year, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscaping has continued to strengthen the protection and rescue of wild animals, and since January, a total of 227 species of wild animals have been rescued and rescued, and 2384 wild animals have been rescued. Among them, 1223 of 185 species were rescued in the wild, and 1161 of 107 species were received and transferred. There are 24 animals of 6 species protected at the national level, 315 animals of 45 species of national second-level protected animals, 1656 animals of 123 species of protected animals of the third level, 64 animals of 14 species protected in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and 379 animals of 30 species in Appendix II.

Beijing News reporter Zhang Lu

Edited by Fan Yijing Proofreader Li Lijun