African serval cat killed by pickup in Canada

SOOKE, British Columbia, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Authorities in British Columbia said an exotic African serval cat seen wandering on the loose in the province was hit and killed by a pickup truck.

Don Brown, chief bylaw officer with the Capital Regional District, said the serval cat seen wandering the streets in Sooke in the early summer was a domesticated pet that escaped its home again Saturday and was apparently struck by a pickup truck driven by a man who posted a photo on Facebook.

Brown told The Province that driver Peter Henry "phoned in to us, but the phone went dead. We're waiting for him to phone back."

Servals are native to the savannah regions of Africa, but are kept by some as exotic pets in Canada. "This serval cat is domesticated -- a person in Sooke owns it," Brown said. "They're native to Africa. They generally feed on small rodents, fish and birds."

Cat breeder and serval owner Doug Nelson of Purrfound Cattery said the escaped feline was sold to a breeder in Sooke several months ago.

"I'm totally in shock. It was one of my babies. To have it killed needlessly like this is very, very heart-wrenching," Nelson told Global News.