Giselle's Story

A long-time supporter of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR), who worked as a pet food consultant for veterinarians, reached out in 2016 about an African Serval needing a proper home. The supporter had noticed an eight-month-old serval – Giselle – spending most of her younger life at the vet clinic. An Arkansas family had purchased Giselle from an exotic animal breeder in New York. To help “domesticate” Giselle, the family decided to spay and front-declaw her. However, Giselle suffered complications from the declaw procedure and broke one of her back legs – limiting her mobility, thus staying kenneled at the vet clinic. The long-time TCWR supporter and veterinarian convinced the Arkansas family that placing Giselle at a reputable sanctuary would be in the young serval’s best interest. TCWR’s team drove to Little Rock, AR, to rescue Giselle and transported her back to the Refuge.

Giselle is a bright-spirited African Serval, and her gentle meows can often be heard throughout the Refuge. Giselle is not afraid to use her long legs to help hunt her prey through her varied hunting tactics: she will stalk and hunt insects or other small creatures that venture into their habitat. Even though these wild cats are native to the savanna lands in Africa, Giselle has come to love the fall weather and the leaf piles that come with the changing seasons – and in winter she has a heated building. Generally, she keeps to herself even though she shares her large habitat with other servals. If she is not playing with her toys, Giselle enjoys napping in a sunny spot of her habitat or under a platform in the cool shade.