FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE SERVALS OF UKUWELA

Two young servals, orphaned in KwaZulu-Natal and raised by the expert team at FreeMe Wildlife, have now taken their first steps into freedom on Wild Tomorrow’s Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve. This blog follows their remarkable journey of rescue, rehabilitation, and release told through the lens of Wild Tomorrow’s Wildlife Storyteller, Chantelle Melzer. Read our latest blog post below for a rare glimpse into the delicate balance of ethical rewilding and what it takes to return an elusive species back to the wild where it belongs.

By Chantelle Melzer, Wild Tomorrow’s Wildlife Storyteller

Few experiences compare to watching a wild animal return to the place it truly belongs. But over the past few months, I’ve had the extraordinary privilege of following the journey of two serval kittens—rescued, rehabilitated, and now, finally, released to live wild on Wild Tomorrow’s Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve. 

Their story began when they were rescued in KwaZulu-Natal, orphaned at just a few weeks old. With no mother to guide them, their survival now hinged on human care - yet the goal was always to ensure they remained wild in spirit. That balance is delicate. Too much human interaction, and a serval becomes habituated. Too little, and they miss the crucial lessons needed to thrive on their own. 

Read more about the start of their journey here. 

One of the two female servals still as a kitten, this was the first time she had seen the camera equipment and was very curious about it.

FreeMe Wildlife took them in and began the long, careful process of rehabilitation. This isn’t a simple task. At FreeMe, rehabilitation follows a very specialized approach—a carefully developed method built on years of experience with wild animals. Every step is intentional, designed to keep the animals’ natural instincts intact while preparing them for life back in the wild. Working closely with FreeMe Wildlife, I was brought in to tell their story and document the process in a way that was both ethical and non-intrusive. As Wild Tomorrow’s Wildlife Storyteller, and as a long-standing photographer in the conservation and wildlife field, I’ve had the privilege of capturing some unforgettable moments: from photographing iconic species, to documenting urgent interventions to protect rhinos and other endangered wildlife. 

This, however, was something quite different. 

I spent countless quiet hours inside their enclosure at FreeMe’s centre in Howick - watching, listening, learning their patterns and personalities. From the start, I knew this would be more than just a story. And I was the incredibly lucky one who would get to tell it and see it unfold. 

It’s not every day you find yourself immersed in the presence of servals: being approached, snarled at, almost bitten - and then, somehow, accepted as just "being there." There were definitely some intimidating moments. But there were also countless special ones: watching them explore enrichment, test their hunting instincts, and develop those critical wild behaviors. I always remained neutral - never the one to bring in food or enrichment - so that they formed no association between me and rewards. That distance mattered. 

It was a rare opportunity to gain an inside view of what ethical rehabilitation can look like, and how vital it is to get it right. 

When the time came to move the servals to the soft release enclosure on Wild Tomorrow's Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve, we followed strict protocols designed by FreeMe Wildlife to protect their wildness. Every stage of their rehabilitation—right through to release—is part of a structured, step-by-step process that FreeMe has refined over the years to give animals the best possible chance of survival in the wild. As part of that, I was the only person allowed to be near them. This wasn’t a personal preference…it was essential that they became familiar with only one human. If they started accepting people broadly, it could jeopardise their rewilding. The goal was always twofold: document their progress and gather insights into their behavior, without compromising their future. Read more about their arrival into soft release here.

Documenting their release was unlike anything I had done before. There were a number of hair-raising moments; like walking back alone through the darkness to my vehicle parked in the distance on several nights, with the rasp of a leopard echoing in the background and the occasional call of a hyena carrying across the reserve. One night, after hearing those distinctive leopard calls in the distance from the serval soft-release site, I decided to take a short drive into the reserve…and there they were: not one, but two leopards, their eyes catching the light in the dark. (I also collected more ticks than I care to remember!)

Chantelle in the soft-release enclosure testing the telemetry to see if the collars are picking up.

But it was also incredibly humbling: walking alongside a rewilded serval, watching her stalk unseen prey in the tall grass, or having her pass silently within a metre of my legs. One of the most surreal moments for me was the night we opened the gates. The air felt heavy with anticipation. It was eerie, and I could almost feel the nervous energy radiating from the servals. The usual sense of safety the electrified fence once offered was gone. I think we all felt suddenly exposed. It was as if we had all crossed a threshold…together. 

But the challenges weren’t just physical. Photographing them was often challenging. I had to resist the instinct to capture “perfect shots” (the cats moving, stalking, pouncing, hunting…sometimes in perfect golden light), always prioritizing their focus and wild behavior over my lens. Every movement was carefully considered. Everything was done on foot, and even the smallest step or rustle could break their concentration. At night, I used only one red-filtered light to minimize disturbance. Working solo meant juggling lighting while filming (sometimes very awkwardly) but the footage captured offers a quiet, honest glimpse into the life of servals on the brink of freedom. 

Footage of one of the servals attempting to hunt in the daytime. This gives us good insight about the collars and their movements.

Servals are elusive by nature, and witnessing them in this raw, transitional phase—from supported care to full independence—has been an incredible experience. Their journey is still unfolding. I’ll continue to track and observe them, whenever and wherever I can do so responsibly on foot, to document their progress, feeding back behavioral insights and information about how rehabilitated servals adapt to life in the wild. 

We hope their story contributes to broader learnings around serval rehabilitation and rewilding. For now, we continue to monitor their movements via the tracking collars, which provide daily data points. 

A very special image, this was the first time Chantelle had seen this serval out in the wild since her final release from the soft-release enclosure.

To be part of this journey, alongside the dedicated teams at FreeMe Wildlife and Wild Tomorrow, has been incredible and it’s something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. It’s been a privilege to stand quietly at the edge of two servals worlds and watch them take their first steps into freedom. 

We look forward to sharing their full story with you in the near future.