DISTRICT TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A wildcat that escaped from a Berks County wildlife center after high winds damaged its enclosure was struck and killed by a car Monday evening, according to the facility.
Cricket Wildlife Center in District Township said three African servals escaped over the weekend when a windstorm caused a tree to fall onto their pen. Two were safely recovered, but the third was found dead late Monday.
“It is with heartbreaking sadness that we report the final cat was hit by a car this past evening,” the center wrote in a Facebook post early Tuesday. “She was very much loved and will be deeply missed.”
The center thanked community members who joined the search effort, noting that more than 100 sighting reports came in and dozens of volunteers helped look for the missing cats.
“This is not the outcome we wanted, but we take solace in the fact the other two are home and safe because of the dedication and compassion of this community,” the post continued.
The wildlife center said the windstorm caused significant damage to multiple enclosures, with the serval pen hit the hardest. Staff said the escaped cats — the last three remaining from the center’s former lesser cat rescue program — were older and not able to care for themselves in the wild. The center emphasized that the animals were not a danger to people or pets.
Officials asked anyone who set up live traps or trail cameras to assist in the search to now disarm them and remove any bait. The center plans to contact residents in the coming days to retrieve equipment.