MYKOLAIV, DECEMBER 14th, 2010, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE — A pair of servals have been delivered to Mykolaiv Zoo from the Zoo in Gdańsk Oliwa, Poland, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

Director of Mykolaiv Zoo Volodymyr Topchiy has informed the agency about it today, 14 December.

According to his information, the animals were given to the zoo within the framework of European Rare Species Breeding Programme.

The male and female specimens named Sudan and Angola were born on April 5, 2010 at the Zoo in Gdańsk Oliwa, Poland.

The flight Warsaw-Kyiv delivered the animals to Kyiv, where the representatives of Mykolaiv Zoo had already been expecting them. They later delivered the animals to the Mykolaiv Zoo.

“The animals endured the shipment quite well and they are now making themselves at home at the new place feeling well”, added Mr Topchiy.

As he informed this pair of specimens is the only one in Ukraine as yet, so the zoo personnel have a lot of hopes about the animals — in case they breed normally the zoo will be able to share the offshoot with other Ukrainian zoos. The Mykolaiv Zoo has relevant experience as to breeding servals — they used to have a rather numerous group of them.

Unfortunately the spectators will not be able to see the new inhabitants of the Mykolaiv Zoo — the animals have to be quarantined. But already in spring the cats will be available for display to the public.

INFORMATION: The serval is a medium-sized African wild cat. Modern molecular DNA analysis indicates that servals maintain their own unique lineage descending from the same felid ancestor as the lion, and though the serval shares common traits with the cheetah, it is the cheetah which is thought to have descended from ancient servals. Similar DNA studies have shown the African golden cat and the caracal are closely related to the serval.