Updates on Galia and MacCormick
Mac - Oct 2011
Galia - Oct 2011
2012
27 February: They seem very much in love and spend lots of time together. What Galia doesn’t know, is that Mac has another girlfriend who is keeping him busy these days: Raisin the cat. At first we thought Raisin was spending all that time next to the gate because she wanted to go out and interact with the volunteers, but what she really wants is some alone time with her serval boyfriend. Usually in the morning you can find the two kissing through the fence and later on during the day you see Mac and Galia all cuddled up – so we’re guessing the poor boy is exhausted keeping his two girls happy!
7 January: They had quite an eventful Sunday! Just after we finished morning tasks and while everyone was busy starting their day, two volunteers went in with the servals. All of a sudden we noticed the servals were chasing something and a second later Galia was up in the air, swiping at something- a snake! The volunteers immediately called Delano and Ashley to the scene. They identified the snake as a male boomslang. A boomslang is a very poisonous snake, so we decided to intervene before anybody got hurt. It took about 20 minutes to catch the snake, because it started hiding underneath the rocks, and between his tricky position and the servals not giving up on trying to get him themselves, it was quite a challenge. Eventually the guys managed to catch the snake without harm done to anybody involved, and they took him to a remote corner of the park where he was released safely. It was a lucky escape for the snake, because on closer inspection before his release, we found that the servals had actually done a bit of damage to him already, and by the looks of it they would probably have killed him before he would have had a chance to bite them. This just confirms that wild animals remain wild and should be respected as such, no matter how tame they look, their instincts are still there.
2011
21 December: Mac and Galia are very much in love these days and spend most of their day cuddling together in different spots in the enclosure. They developed a weird feeding routine where they’ll refuse to eat for two days in a row and then on the third day they will be extra hungry and excited to see the food brought up to them. They still get a mixture of red meat and chicken twice a day, and have started “meowing” whenever it gets close to feeding time and they are hungry.
28 November: Galia was a bit grumpy this week for no real reason, she didn’t want us around her and hissed at us quite a bit. Mac is calmer and loves purring at us, but gave us hard time this week with refusing to eat his meat. Sunday was a rainy day and the servals just loved it – both Mac & Galia were jumping all over their enclosure, getting the volunteers covered with mud as they played along. We are still looking for new enrichment ideas for the two, so any suggestions will be highly appreciated.
8 November: The servals are doing well and are very big. Mac has bulked up a lot and is a beautiful big boy. Galia is very ladylike, looking very slim and dainty. They still get days when they are a bit fussy with their food, but not as much as in the past. They love attention from the volunteers. They like to sleep in the bushes in their enclosure, and sometimes we really have to look carefully to see under which bush they are sleeping.
25 October: Mac and Galia had an exciting new toy come into their enclosure this week – a piece of dried horse skin which is being used to introduce new smells and stimulate the two of them. The two of them gave the peice of skin a few sniffs and left it not really showing to much interest. A game they do enjoy is when a tennis ball gets thrown on the roof of the enclosure and they chase it backwards and forwards as it rolls off the roof.
12 October: The servals are still in this new honey moon stage. They are spending all their time together either playing or cuddling up. Galia seems to have some unresolved issues with some of the staff members and volunteers – common ground being they are all men! Once in the enclosure she is fine but when they are on the outside she is not a happy kitty. We finally finished installing the water pump for their pool and now it is all up and running and they are able to enjoy a nice clean pool to dip in.
Mac - isn't he gorgeous?! (Photo: May 2011)
3 October: The servals didn’t really enjoy the rainy day yesterday and looked quite miserable being wet. They seem to be growing closer together and can often be found cuddling up with each other, although it looks a bit like Galia is the one instigating those moments and not Mac — he just goes wherever and she will follow him and sit down next to him. Feedings are going well for a change without them being too fussy about it which makes our job a bit easier.
27 September: The serval pool got cleaned in the past week and it seemed that enjoyed the cleaning process more than the clean pool! While the volunteers were busy cleaning up, the two were busy jumping around making their job a bit more difficult. They also seem to be spending more time together and you can find them cuddling together quite often.
20 September: The servals were fussy eaters again this week: not eating at all one day, the next wanting only chicken and later wanting only meat. After putting some thought into it we decided to change their feeding program from 3 feeds a day to two, keeping the amount of food total per day the same and so far it seems to work. Mac was more active than normal this week – playing along with Galia and us.
12 September: You can tell the difference quite easily between Mac and Galia: Mac is bigger and darker and Galia is slicker and lighter in color. Her beautiful eye color hasn’t changed and they are both calm and very sweet. Mac likes to spend his days in the hammock the volunteers built for him, while Galia is usually up and running around chasing leaves, stones and whatever else comes her way. This week we’ll be finishing off their little pool — putting the filter in and getting it up and running.
5 September: The servals’ diet has changed a little bit and they are now getting chicken wings. Galia was not happy with the change and didn’t want to eat on Saturday and Sunday morning but has since adapted well and is enjoying her wings now. It is also Mac’s birthday today and he is one-year-old. They are also starting to become very vocal and are talking to us through the fence as we walk past.
29 August: Mac and Galia are eating much better this week and not being as fussy with their food. They have also been stalking little birds on the other side of the fence and when the birds fly off they jump up against the fence trying to catch them. Galia turns one on Thursday and next monday Mac turns one.
23 August: These two gorgeous cats are doing really well and continue to take the visitors’ breaths away with their striking good looks. They also have a birthday coming up soon when they will be one-years-old. They are loving their new pool, especially Galia who loves the water. They’re eating better this week but are still a bit fussy with their food, for example only wanting to eat the chicken one day and then only the red meat the next.
15 August: Mac and Galia have been enjoying extra attention from the volunteers and guests. We are building a new water feature in their enclosure for enrichment. The new feature is a water fountain that flows into a small pool where they can play in the water. We are now busy cementing the rocks onto the edge of the pool. We are nearly done with this project and expect it to be finished before the week’s end. They have been stealing the hearts of the guests who visit them, and hear that many people want to take them home!
8 August: Galia and Mac had great fun entertaining the public on Sunday by chasing a frog that had wandered into their enclosure. The servals lost their appetite a little last week as, being typical cats, they hate the rain but with the sun out they’re back on form eating all their food as well as any frogs they might catch.
1 August: Mac and Galia had a very relaxed week. They have been enjoying the sunshine after the rain has stopped, and can frequently be seen snoozing in their hammock. They are still quite picky eaters, but have been especially enjoying the chicken giblets lately.
25 July: Mac and Galia have been climbing all over the trees and posts of their enclosure. They have been basking in the affection of the volunteers and when its nice weather out they can be seen stalking and chasing each other through the bushes.
18 July: Mac and Galia haven’t had a whole lot of handlings lately, but still continue to be as playful as ever when they do. The last few days Galia has been found playing in the water pool in their enclosure to escape the heat. Mac has been taking long catnaps in the shade under the hammock or under their house.
11 July: Mac and Galia have been really picky with their food again, but enjoyed the treat of chicken skin that was found in the giblet bag. There has been talk of providing them enrichment by hanging their food in one of the trees.
4 July: Mac and Galia haven’t been enjoying the rainy weather we’ve had recently. They can usually be seen either huddling in their little house or chasing each other out from under it to avoid the chilly rain. When the weather is nice, they can be found good naturedly chasing each other around their enclosure and playing with peacock feathers left as toys by volunteers, and with their red squeaky ball.
27 June: Mac and Galia are enjoying all the attention they are getting from their handlings. They are still pretty picky during meal times, but love the giblets. These guys still love cooling off and splashing around in their big water bowl, a new pool might be a good addition for them!
14 June: The servals have been quite picky again with their food lately. Mac eats more than Galia and sometimes he tries to eat her food when she won’t touch it. These two playful cats had a few handlings over the weekend and the people who came to play with them were very surprised how alike to the common house cat they can be. One of the ladies who came in was even lucky enough to have Galia come and climb in her lap before getting up to chase the red ball Mac had been playing with.
6 June: The servals have been much better with their feedings this week and almost always ate all their food, which we are all very happy about. We also got our first taker for a serval handling on Sunday and they did really well – so we are all very proud of them. Galia’s love for water still keeps growing and on Thursday she climbed completely into her water bowl and was drenched all the way up to her shoulders. We are also busy planning a exciting enhancement to their enclosure watch this space for more news!!!
31 May: They’ve been inconsistent this week with their food and are still quite fussy. Galia loves playing with her water bowl; she keeps on stepping in it and getting it full of mud. Today we’re going to start doing handlings with them. We also tried to put a harness on them again — Mac took it very well and was purring while we put the harness on him but Galia wanted to know nothing about it and ran away from us so we won’t be walking her – only MacCormick.
23 May: The servals haven’t been eating as much this week, especially Galia. On Wednesday we tried taking them for a walk, but they really hated their leashes, which made them a little agitated. They never left their cage.
12 May: The servals got a new toy this week: a squeaky pink ball that MacCormick fell in love with. He plays with it all the time, and all you hear is it squeaking away day and night.
We have a new little project for Galia after we noticed that she loves running water: we are going to build her a water fountain! We’ll let you know next week how she is doing with it. In terms of food they remain fussy as always, they still get 400g for breakfast and dinner and for lunch they get 200g.
5 May: A little bird flew into their enclosure the other day and Galia climbed up to the top of the tree to try and get it – but eventually it got away. Mac has started dipping his meat in their water and playing with it before he eats it. Besides that they are still fussy eaters, and very picky about what they’ll eat, preferring giblets to meat at the moment. This can change by the week!
25 April: These babies are 9 months old now and are so loving and cute. Galia likes to put her dirty paws into the water bowl when we put in fresh water so it becomes sandy straight away. They have a bigger bowl which is like a pool and they hit their paws against the surface of the water. Galia always runs to the fence whenever someone walks past, but she has developed a habit of hissing at boys. They eat 400 grams of giblets/meat for breakfast, 200grams for lunch and 400grams for dinner, and run to the gate and fight each other for the closest position to the entrance.
13 April: These beautiful cats are really impressive to look at and to watch and it’s hard to believe sometimes that they are still babies and only 7-months-old. They are still very friendly towards us and we are always greeted in the mornings with loud eager chirps and some deep purring. They have suddenly developed a deep love for the red meat and for a couple of days have only eaten the red meat. They also still love their trampoline a lot and you could almost say they use it as a nice comfy hammock. They also love their little chats that they have with the cubs through the fence when they go for their walks in the mornings and evenings. The vegetation in their enclosure is also looking better and better as it is getting much more green thanks to the decent amount of rain that we have been getting in the last few weeks.
4 April: Galia and MacCormick are becoming much more affectionate as they get older, especially Galia. When we walk past they always run to the fence to talk to us and their noises are high chirps and lots of purring. The grass in the enclosure is growing so well which will keep soil erosion down, and they are in a picky mood for their food the past couple of days. MacCormick’s colours are still very bright and he is so handsome, and Galia’s eyes are incredible to look at really close up.
30 March: The trampoline is up and the servals are constantly attached to their new addition! Mac likes to climb on top of it and hide from Galia and then they play with each other and roll around and jump on it! Once they are tired they lay underneath in the shade and catch some sleep. Mac is going through a phase of not eating red meat so it’s just giblets for now, and Galia keeps a look out for Baby Goat and charges at her through the fence.
22nd: We are working on some toys for the servals. A trampoline platform is on its way, which we think that they will enjoy very much. They still love playing in their pool and every morning when we walk in there the water is splashed all over the enclosure. Galia’s clear blue eyes are stunning and MacCormick is adorable when he comes over to say hello, purring like a little kitten.
15th: Our servals are now 6-and-a-half-months-old and still growing. They play a lot during the morning and late evening and climb up the enclosure poles and trees and look out at the beautiful view. They do lick and groom each other, then fall asleep together like an old married couple. Both still purr so much when we come in, and love a good scratch and play around with the volunteers.
8th: Galia and MacCormick are looking very beautiful and they are very sweet and affectionate. MacCormick doesn’t really like the red meat as much, and Galia leaves the chicken hearts behind when they eat, and then they swap bowls! Galia’s eyes are still changing and are blue/ green/ purpleish in colour and are amazing. Both are climbing a lot and playing with each other like the tigers play. The grass in the enclosure is coming through so all the planting has paid off.
1st: Our servals are great, and we are still planting grass in their enclosure and they love to dig it up and play with it like it’s alive. They also climb up the poles in the enclosure and are excellent tree climbers too. Galia is the paler coloured one while MacCormick is more orange. They play quite rough and chase each other around the enclosure then tackle and wrestle in the dirt.
23rd: MacCormick and Galia are very sweet and affectionate, and love to purr to us when we play with them. Both are very fast with their paws and can hit down really hard onto our hands! They also love to stalk baby goat when she walks past. They also sleep up on top of their sleeping box every now and then and underneath as well – guess they like the top and bottom more than actually getting inside it! They are nearly 6 months of age and are still growing strong.
The servals in their new enclosure - February 2011
16th: MacCormick is becoming bigger than Galia now but both are doing fine. Galia’s eyes are still a bluish-green colour and she is very pretty. We have been planting lots of new grass in their enclosure so they are having lots of fun with all the people attention and grass to play with. We hope to fill their enclosure up with grass to stop the wind from eroding the ground. They are still eating their chicken giblets and meat 3 times a day.
7th: Our serval babies are now five-months-old and are coming along nicely. MacCormick is more orange in colour while Galia is more dusky. They are both the same size and are the best of friends and will be seen resting their heads on each other while sleeping. Both rub their heads and bodies against our legs when we come in and will crawl over our laps and purr at us. They have very sharp teeth and claws as they are pointy and narrow unlike the lions, which are great for eating their favourite part of their food, the chicken necks!
2nd: Galia and MacCormick are very cute and always run up to the gate whenever we go in. Both purr and make funny squeaking noises to say hello. They are eating bowls of giblets and red meat 3 times a day, which seems to suit them a lot better. They have a great sleeping box and a hanging ball to play with now, and they are very agile and quick with their paws. Galia will always chase balls, rocks and snail shells!
25th: Galia and MacCormick have had their feed changed to 3 times a day as they are quite the fussy eaters. They are eating very well and getting bigger and bigger. They are nearly 5 months old now and are often mistaken by the public as “baby cheetahs!”. The volunteers have been continuing with the renovating of their enclosure, and we have added steps, hanging toys and a sleeping box which they love to play with and which keep them very busy and happy, although they do love to supervise the volunteers as we work! Very curious little cats!
18th: Galia and MacCormick are very amused with the comings and goings of the volunteers renovating their home every day. We bring exciting toys such as buckets, shovels and rakes that they go berserk and get so happy to play with piles of dirt and huge potatoes that we dig up. They will also get a new sleeping box soon once Delano has finished building it. It looks great so far. Galia has beautiful eyes which are changing to turquoise while Mac’s are still golden-brown.
11th: The servals are doing very well in their new home and have settled in nicely. They are still eating a mix of giblets, red meat and chicken but are often fussy. They love to chase each other and also play with balls and other toys we have given them. They are very quick and curious and are still amazing climbers. They both purr when we spend time with them and love affection and attention.
3rd: Galia and MacCormick have been moved into their new permanent home! The enclosure has been built and both servals are now enjoying the extra space and new trees to explore in. The public are very curious of them, and love to watch at feeding time when they run around the gate all happy and excited to eat. They are still getting fed four times a day with larger portions of giblets, chicken and red meat, and now MacCormick usually finishes first. Galia is a very good tree climber while MacCormick likes to stretch out on the rocks on the sun.
2010
DECEMBER
20th: The Servals are now 3 and a half months old now. Both are very well-behaved and healthy as we are feeding them chicken, red meat and giblets every day. They are very curious and love to play around with each other and in the trees. Their claws are very sharp but they never scratch us or bite us. The girl’s eyes are still changing colour and going more grey, while MacCormick’s are still brown.
14th: MacCormick and Galia are very cute, and love it when we go and visit them. Both run up to the gate and make it a fun game for us to get into their enclosure as they like to climb all over us as soon as we walk in. The girl is a great eater, while the boy is more picky and fussy. Both still purr all the time and love to play all over us and hide from each other behind us. They are very quick when they play and run, jump and climb over all the branches in the trees. Both are very comfortable with being outside now. Their larger, permanent enclosure is nearly finished, so not long till they will be moved.
7th: Galia and MacCormick are doing really well and have settled in so perfectly. They have now spent nights outside and are loving it. Both are very excited and affectionate when we catch up with them early morning time for their breakfast. They are growing up so fast and becoming less fussy eaters. They are on a diet of giblets, chicken and red meat and their bottle. MacCormick still drinks every last drop but Galia is much more keen on the chicken and giblets. Delano and the men have been working very hard on the new enclosure, and all the poles are nearly up so it should be ready very, very soon. Cheers to them for working so hard as it’s been very hot and sunny but they are doing an excellent job.
NOVEMBER:
29th: The servals are growing up so quickly! They already weigh 3.4 kilos and are 12 weeks old now. The girl loves the meat/ chicken and the boy loves his milk. They are still spending the day outside and coming into the restaurant at night hower this will soon change. The girls eyes are changing to a more greenish colour but the boys eyes are still brown. The boy is the most affectionate out of the two and instantly purrs as soon as you pet him or pick him up.
23rd: MacCormick and Galia are so cute, but they can be a handful too as they’re so energetic and nimble. They are growing up so fast! Both are excellent climbers and we often find them in the trees when we bring them their food. The boy loves his bottle and the girl loves her meat. We leave them outside in their temporary home during the day but then bring them in at night time to sleep in the warm. They act and play exactly like kittens, and play with all kinds of toys like ping pong balls, pens and string. Both just love to play! Below are the latest photos of them.
MacCormick exploring
Janice Gibb with MacCormick
Little Galia trying to read the notice near what was a temporary pen!
17th: The servals have been moved from the restaurant into a new enclosure, near the meerkats. We had to make it escape proof-first, but once that was done, they were moved, and they love the extra space. They are very, very active little things (just over 2.5kgs each) and they love to chase one anther and play. They are quite similar to domestic kittens in that respect. We are delighted that they love their new home and look forward to starting on their permanent enclosure, just off the parking area.
8th: MacCormick and Galia (servals!) are so cute, and are growing fast. MacCormick is 2.075 kilos and Galia is 1.925 kilos. Both are great eaters, and play with us after eating. The boys usually purrs when you pick him up. Both are confident and explore a lot so we can’t leave them alone for a second. During the day we put them outside for some fresh air and sunshine. We are increasing their food amounts today, and are still having 2 bottles and 3 bowls of meat/chicken each day.
2nd: The baby servals sure are a handful! Both have been named, the boy is MacCormick and the girl Galia. They are very beautiful and get along great. When it comes to feeding, the boy is a bit greedy and always tries to steal her food. They are very hyperactive and have loads of energy all the time, and love to climb all over us with their extremely sharp claws and occasionally bite with their razor sharp teeth. Their feeding schedule is as follows: bottle at 6am, chicken at 11am, chicken at 4pm, bottle at 5:15pm and chicken at 9pm. Their new enclosure is currently being constructed and everyone is getting involved in the building process. The bushes in front of Janice and Rusty’s house is being cleared, as this will become their new spacious home with trees and logs for them to play with.
OCTOBER
29th : Here are the first photos of our Servals. Aren’t they gorgeous? We weighed them last night, and the boy is 1.685KG and the girl is 1.635KG. We are feeding them chicken three times a day and also a bottle. The boy is very sweet, affectionate and playful, the girl a little bit more feistier – but they are so cute! Both are extremely confident and not shy at all, and they are having fun exploring the restaurant in the early mornings and nights.
Volunteer Tams is loving the little Servals!
28th: The beautiful Servals arrived today! Woohoo..and we are pleased to say they are very good looking, healthy and happy, and have spent the mid-morning running, climbing and jumping around their new home in the restaurant. They are currently on 4 feeds a day (1 bottle and 3 feeds of chicken or beef). We love the new addition to the park!
25th: We are still currently waiting for the servals to arrive, hopefully by the end of the week they shall have joined our ranks. We will keep you posted!
16th: Janice and Rusty have purchased a breeding pair of servals this week that are 6 weeks old. We have to wait for the permit before we can bring them to the park but they are both very playful and sweet. They are eating 2 meat servings and 3 bottle servings a day.
