Research overview: high serval densities at a modified industrial landscape

Research at a heavily industrialised and agricultural site in South Africa documented unexpectedly high serval densities, challenging assumptions that intensively modified land cannot support felids. This overview synthesises camera-trap density estimation and ecological study showing how rodent-rich wetlands and grasslands amid petrochemical infrastructure sustained a dense serval population. It examines the role of prey abundance, reduced persecution and water availability in this surprising outcome, and the broader lesson that some human-modified landscapes can function as high-quality felid habitat. The synthesis frames the case as a striking example of context-dependent felid success in industrial and agricultural settings.