Itsa国际传媒檚 been four days since the disappearance of a Fernie residentsa国际传媒檚 beloved cat, and there are no leads yet as to where it went.

Aquila, an African Serval, disappeared from Alex Hansonsa国际传媒檚 backyard sometime on Friday, July 13. Hanson inspected the area on Friday night to find a large hole deliberately cut through the deer fence which lined his one-acre enclosure.

Hanson says that he and his partner believe it was a targeted attempt to either steal the cat, or set it free. At this point it is unclear whether the individual/s responsible were successful in capturing the animal, or whether their failed attempt left a means for the cat to get out.

Every night, Hanson takes his cat inside. He and his partner believe that the individual(s) responsible may have tried to steal it during the night on Thursday, to find that the cat wasnsa国际传媒檛 around, and then left with the fence broken.

The enclosure where Aquila spends most of her time is mostly surrounded by forest. Hanson admitted that most people in their neighbourhood, Alpine Trails, were not even aware that they had a Serval. This heavily forested area could also explain why he and his partner might not have noticed the broken fence until it was too late.

sa国际传媒淲e think itsa国际传媒檚 very targeted,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淪omebody knows something, from somewhere. And we donsa国际传媒檛 have a lot of people over.

sa国际传媒淵ou look back, how many people completely hate your guts? Theresa国际传媒檚 some people that donsa国际传媒檛 like me around here, but a lot of it just doesnsa国际传媒檛 make sense.sa国际传媒�

Hanson said that if someone was successful in stealing the 35-pound cat, it would have taken a team of at least two or three people. He says Servals are smart, quick, nervous animals, and do not come to the beckoning of a stranger.

Hanson has several theories as to why someone might have wanted to steal his cat:

First of all, someone may have wanted a Serval cat for themselves, and successfully captured it. In this case theysa国际传媒檒l have to give it up soon as Aquila will not trust a new family. The other theory is that somebody thought they wanted it, attempted to capture it, and couldnsa国际传媒檛, leaving the fence agape. In this case Hanson hopes shesa国际传媒檚 wandering around the base of Mt. Fernie and will return home soon. In the possibility that neither of these scenarios are true, then Hanson believes someone deliberately tried to set the cat free. He says this isnsa国际传媒檛 right; if someone loves animals, and doesnsa国际传媒檛 want to see them get hurt, then he says they should recognize that their Serval is domesticated and would not survive in the wild.

Serval cats are very expensive to purchase, with some costing over $10,000. But Hanson said that there isnsa国际传媒檛 a black market for them, as anyone who knows anything about the big cats knows that they donsa国际传媒檛 bond well with strangers. So he doesnsa国际传媒檛 believe that someone would try and capture her to sell later.

Hanson and his partner purchased the cat from a legal breeder in the lower mainland seven years ago. Hanson said that once a Serval has bonded with a human family, they will not bond with anyone else. Additionally, he said that Servals are very high maintenance animals, and likened it to having a child.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 not an animal you just leave in your house and look it. Theysa国际传媒檙e a lot of work. They have special feeding requirements, theysa国际传媒檙e not going to bond to anybody new, theysa国际传媒檙e not going to adjust to a new home and a new family,sa国际传媒� he said.

Hanson and his partner do not have any children, and say that Aquila was a part of their family. He said that Aquila is incredibly smart, and acts like a trained dog.

sa国际传媒淟eash trained, likes to go on walks, likes water,sa国际传媒� he said.

He stressed that Servals are harmless to humans, and Fernie locals should not be concerned.

sa国际传媒淭he main thing is, she is not dangerous,sa国际传媒� said Hanson. sa国际传媒淪hesa国际传媒檚 not going to hurt children. Servals are avoidance creatures. They donsa国际传媒檛 hunt people, they donsa国际传媒檛 attack humans.

sa国际传媒淭hey go after birds, mice and snakes.sa国际传媒�

Hansonsa国际传媒檚 post on social media about Aquila going missing quickly garnered attention and much response. As of Monday, July 16, the Facebook post had received 3.6K reactions, 2.9K comments and 22K shares.

In response to some people who say that they shouldnsa国际传媒檛 own a Serval in the first place, Hanson said that this breed of cat has been domesticated for thousands of years.

If you spot Aquila, Hanson asks that you do not try to approach her. Instead, call the police and report the location. He says that people make mistakes, and if the cat is returned hesa国际传媒檚 willing to leave it at that.

sa国际传媒淪hesa国际传媒檚 harmless, but if you chase her, shesa国际传媒檒l just keep running. If you spot her the best thing to do is to just call the police,sa国际传媒� he said.

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