African Serval Found Roaming Lincoln Neighborhood

LINCOLN (CBS) – An African wild cat known as a Serval was found Tuesday roaming in a Lincoln neighborhood.

Mary Johaggerty first saw the wild cat earlier this week in Lincoln.

"He didn't seem threatening at all," Johaggerty said. "We went to the front door and this exotic cat, which I assume is some kind of Serval was at the front door looking all over the place like he wanted to come in."

So, she called rescuers at the MSPCA for help.

"It is exceedingly rare to find a Serval in the wild," said Alyssa Krieger of the MSPCA. "I was shocked when we got the call, I was shocked when I got the picture."

Crews from MSPCA-Angell came up with a plan to rescue him.

"We had residents feeding him at the same time every day," Krieger said. "And then we got a call yesterday saying that he was in the driveway, so we went out, we threw him some food and he like kind of ran over toward us."

They eventually got him into a garage and then into a big cage. Once he was back at headquarters, the veterinary team discovered the cat, now named Bruno, was hurt. He had two breaks in his right hind leg that appear to have been healing for months.

It is illegal to own Servals in Massachusetts, except for zoos with a permit. Bruno had no ID tags and no microchip, which the MSPCA said makes it "near impossible" to find his owner.

"He's definitely not a pet cat," Krieger said.

Once Bruno is treated for his injuries, he will be placed with a zoo or sanctuary.