<P> The serval is confined to Africa--it is rare in northern Africa and the Sahel, but widespread in southern Africa, where their range is reportedly expanding . In northern Africa, the serval is known only from Morocco and has been reintroduced in Tunisia, but is feared to be extinct in Algeria . </P> <P> The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) lists the serval as least concern; the animal is also included in CITES Appendix II . A major threat to the survival of the serval include the degradation of wetlands and grasslands . Trade of serval skins, though on the decline, still occurs in countries such as Benin and Senegal . In western Africa, the serval has significance in traditional medicine . Pastoralists often kill servals to protect their animals, though servals generally do not prey upon livestock . </P> <P> Servals occur in several protected areas across its range . Hunting of servals is prohibited in Algeria, Botswana, Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Cape Province (South Africa), and Tunisia; regulations apply in Angola, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia . </P> <P> The association of servals with human beings dates to the time of Ancient Egypt . Servals are depicted as gifts or traded objects from Nubia in Egyptian art . </P>

Largest member of cat family in length and width