Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Authorities in New Mexico are on the hunt for an exotic cat, believed to be an African serval, seen wandering loose in a state park. The Santa Fe Police Department said the large feline was photographed by a group of picnickers Monday in the hills around Hyde Memorial State Park. Advertisement Police said the witnesses thought the cat may have been a lynx, but animal services employees who reviewed the photo said it appears to be an African serval cat. Servals are sometimes domesticated and kept as pets, but the department said that "under the right circumstances, this animal could be a threat to small pets or children." The cats are illegal to keep in New Mexico without a zoo permit, but police suspect the animal might be an escaped pet. A New Mexico Game and Fish representative said officers searched the area Tuesday, but were unable to locate the feline. Read More Exotic African serval cat on the loose in Washington state African serval cat wandering loose in Virginia African serval hybrid on the loose in Netherlands
