African cat found in Massachusetts with badly broken leg is coming to Minnesota
An African serval that was found hurt in Massachusetts is on his way to Minnesota.
The cat, named Bruno, was spotted several times in Lincoln, Massachusetts, before the MSPCA-Angell, a humane society, captured it in someone's backyard on Jan. 4.
"We don’t know how long this guy, now called Bruno, was outside, but he is thin and has a severely broken leg that is several months old," the MSPCA said on Jan. 5, noting servals are illegal to own as pets in Massachusetts.
Tammy Thies, the executive director of The Wildcat Sanctuary (TWS) in Sandstone, Minnesota, said she reached out to the MSPCA "immediately" to offer assistance, TWS said on Facebook.
The MSPCA worked with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to evaluate offers from multiple sanctuaries for where he can go. On Jan. 11, MSPCA announced Bruno would be headed to The Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota.
Bruno does have to have his leg amputated because it was broken so badly. He'll have that surgery and be neutered soon and once he's recovered, he'll be transported to Minnesota where he will have the "opportunity to express his natural behavior, receive the enrichment, vet care and proper nutrition that he needs and deserves," the MSPCA said.
Thies says she knows Bruno will do fine on three legs, noting he's a young, possibly only 1-year-old animal who will get to live with several other servals.
She said Bruno is the "poster child of the horrible things that can happen" when exotic cats escape. They can't survive on their own and many have been clawed, while all see humans as a source of food.
TWS plans to share updates about Bruno on its Facebook page.
