According to Turner’s guide, the serval was given the name of “Manja”. It says you should never cross paths with a black cat, because it brings bad luck. But for this wildlife photographer spotting a black wild cat was a stroke of luck. 

While shooting from the Asilia Namiri Plains Camp in Tanzania, British photographer George Turner witnessed a once in a life time moment. 

He captured a stunning photo of a very rare black serval. The serval is a highly secretive wild cat, native to Africa. 

The solitary feline that could weigh up to 40lb, is known for its golden-yellow coat marked with black dots and stripes. Therefore, it’s very unusual to see a completely black serval. Most likely, the gorgeous cat have melanism. 

Unlikely the albinism, who’s a lack of skin pigmentation, the melanism occurs because of the skin’s black pigmentation.

Melanism in servals primarily occurs in East Africa, particularly in the highland regions over 2000m, which is what makes this sighting particularly special. 

At around 1000m, the Namiri Plains are considerably “lower” than the normal altitude were melanism is more prevalent. It’s likely this particular serval traveled from the nearby – and much higher – Ngorongoro Crater and established a new territory. 

“Can’t describe how mind-blowing this was … and still is,” the excited photographer wrote. “For context, even seeing a ‘normal’ serval is tough. They’re shy, secretive cats that tend to live in tall grasses — the perfect combination for staying unnoticed. Every time I’ve been privileged enough to see them, my heart skips a beat.” Despite its extremely rare appearance, two years ago another black serval was spotted in Kenya by the photographer Sergio Pitamitz. 

“When you do wildlife photography, you’re always searching for something rare and strange. It was absolutely incredible,” the photographer said back then.
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 A gentoo penguin that was being chased by a pod of orcas made a desperation leap for safety into their boat. The successful jump happened only after a first attempt had failed, when the small animal flung itself headfirst into the side of the boat and bounced back into the perilous water. 

 Travel blogger Matt Karsten and his wife Anna were taking a tour through the icebergs of the Gerlache Strait in Antarctica, when they saw the incredible chase unfold. 

 In the video below, the life-saving leap happens at 2:00, ending the long chase scene…

 
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This is how the phrase “real men love cats” were born. 

These aren’t necessarily always neglected dogs in abusive situations. Some cases are just owners who have a lapse in judgment, thinking that because their pets have fur that they’ll be ok overnight in a dog house in the dead of winter. 

 Regardless, pets should never be left outside in extreme weather conditions, and now, thanks to Democratic Rep. Darrin Camilleri from Brownstown, Michigan, there is sponsorship behind a bill that proposes making it illegal to leave your dog outside for more than 30 minutes in temperatures that are 90 degrees and higher, as well as sub-zero weather conditions. 

 According to WZZM, Executive Director for the Harbor Humane Society in Ottawa County, Jennifer Self-Aulgur, said, “It’s very common for us to see at least a dozen cases of frostbite every winter, and it’s usually dogs that were left out. It’s something we also see in the summer with dogs that have been outside too long [suffering] heat exhaustion.”

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This is great news for dogs in Michigan come winter and summertime for them to have these kinds of protections in place. So, what would be the punishments? 

Well, according to the bill, a first offense would entail a misdemeanor that sees you go to jail for up to 93 days, as well as a fine of $1,000. After that, the ensuing offenses will be increased jail time as well as increased fines. However, Michigan wouldn’t be the only state to have such laws. 

According to WZZM there are other states with similar protections in place for their pets as well, and they include the following states: Texas, New York, and Nevada. Hopefully, other states across the nation will also catch on and start presenting similar bills in order to protect their animals from extreme weather conditions.
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