The Serval Conservation Organization has been established to support the conservation of all 30 lesser felid species in the wild, with an emphasis on the African Serval. To read information about the different species, click on the Lesser-Felid link at the left.

Our main goal is to support the conservation, breeding and research of all the lesser felids in the wild. Of the fourteen subspecies of the African Serval, 13 are listed in CITES Appendix II, meaning that they are not currently threatened but easily could be if something is not done to protect them. The North African subspecies is on the World Conservation Union’s (IUNC) Red List, declaring it endangered. Many of the other cat species are listed between vulnerable and endangered, with many of the ones listed as least concern by IUCN being listed as “vulnerable” by CITES. Some of the lesser felids are just starting to reproduce in captivity, while others have no captive populations. Several have rarely ever been seen in the wild even by the natives.

The biggest threats to all the lesser cat species are human development, hunting and poisoning. Human development has either destroyed precious habitat or split it up so the cats are forced to approach human territories. Highway accidents cause many deaths each year. These cats are all hunted for their fur, and some for their meat. People also poison their main food sources, causing the deaths of the cats that eat them. Check out the conservation and preservation links on the left to see what needs to be done to save them.

See our Support page to find out what you can do to help TSCO preserve the wild populations of the lesser felids for generations to come. Also, be sure to check out our links to learn more about what other organizations are doing to protect these smaller wild felines.

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