Louisiana firefighters responding to a small house fire in the suburban New Orleans community of Marrero discovered an African serval, a wildcat native to Africa, illegally kept in a backyard enclosure. The animal was found inside a chain-linked structure that resembled a small batting cage, according to John McCusker, a spokesperson for Jefferson Parish Animal Welfare Services (JPaws). Local regulations require a special permit to keep exotic animals like servals as pets, and the homeowner did not have such a document, McCusker said. JPaws director Michelle Brignac and humane department supervisor Victoria Clark arrived at the scene with the firefighters after being called in. They carefully subdued the hissing serval and moved it into a transport carrier from its 9ft-by-9ft (7.53-sq-meter) enclosure, which McCusker described as “like a dog kennel.” The serval was then transported to a JPaws facility in Harvey. The agency shared photos of the animal, which has black spots, a slender body, and distinctive facial features. Servals are known for their ability to jump as high as about 7ft (2 meters) in the air. According to JPaws, the serval was born in captivity, but its natural habitat is the African grasslands. While servals share some behaviors with domestic cats, such as grooming and stalking prey, they are not easily kept as pets. They require a specialized diet and environment that differs from what house cats need, and they often suffer from chronic stress when confined. Servals may mark their territory, become aggressive as they age, cannot be fully house-trained, and have been known to damage furniture or escape through walls and doors. JPaws is considering temporarily housing the serval at New Orleans’ Audubon Zoo, but a zoo spokesperson said the institution did not plan to accept the animal and indicated that JPaws was looking into other options. The Marrero serval is part of a broader trend in the increasing popularity of African servals, partly fueled by social media influencers who feature them in online videos. Similar cases have drawn media attention in recent years. In 2023, officials in Ohio captured an African serval named Amiry that was spotted in a neighborhood tree and later tested positive for cocaine. In late 2025, a search for an escaped serval in Pennsylvania ended in tragedy when a motorist struck the wildcat. Earlier this year, authorities in Vancouver, Canada, returned an African serval to its owners after it escaped and took shelter under a neighbor’s porch. British Columbia recently banned keeping exotic cats like servals as pets, but owners have until May 2027 to apply for permits to legally keep them.