It is likely that in the near future Savannah cats will be introduced into this country. These creatures are a cross between the wild African Serval and domestic moggies - but they are almost twice as large as the local breed of cats and can weigh up to twenty kilos.
They will be expensive - and that will appeal to the rich who seek exotic pets for their novelty value, but unfortunately a high price does not ensure security. People tire of their pets, as evidenced by the huge numbers of dogs and cars abandoned to welfare agencies - and these include pure breeds which initially cost a lot of money.
If the government is stupid enough to allow Savannah cats into the country it is inevitable that they will go feral - and if they do our native creatures will have a new and more powerful predator than the present scourge of feral cats.
Importing a feline of this dimension makes no sense. There are existing laws to prevent other than zoo's importing Lions, Tigers, Jaguars, Leopards and similar animals and the Savannah cat is large enough to be included in this category. A twenty kilo cat on the rampage is quite capable of inflicting serious injury to an adult human - and death to a child.
Australia has a sad history of importing animals that later became a curse to the environment - and these include rabbits, the fox and cane toads. Now is the time to put a stop to the entry of this giant cat - before one more is added to that list !
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