Exotic Cats Loose in Baltimore
On December 5, 2025, two African serval cats named Tazz and Meek escaped from the home of Brandon Haw, a former NFL safety, into the streets of Reservoir Hill, Baltimore. It was snowing. The servals — wild African cats that can weigh up to 40 pounds and run 50 miles per hour — were loose in a residential neighborhood.
Maryland law prohibits keeping servals as pets. Haw claimed them as "comfort pets."
The Capture
Baltimore Animal Control captured one serval. Haw captured the other himself. Both animals were seized and relocated to a sanctuary in Hartford, Alabama. Haw was fined.
The incident lasted several hours. Residents reported seeing the large, spotted cats sprinting through the snow-covered streets. Servals have 18-inch vertical leaping ability and can clear six-foot fences from a standstill. They are apex predators of small mammals and birds in their native African savanna.
Washington Post: Serval Cats Loose in Baltimore
Why Servals Are Not Pets
Servals are wild animals. They have a bite force capable of puncturing bone. They are territorial, nocturnal, and can become aggressive without warning, especially when stressed or cornered. They require specialized diets, extensive space, and enrichment that no residential home can provide.
Despite this, the exotic pet trade continues to market servals — and their hybrid offspring, Savannah cats — as status symbols. Prices range from $3,000 to $20,000. Breeders advertise them as "dog-like" and "loyal." What they do not advertise is the escape rate, the bite incidents, and the wildlife damage when these animals get loose.
At least 21 states prohibit private ownership of servals. Maryland is one of them. Haw kept his anyway and called them comfort animals.
The CTE Connection
Reports indicate Haw suffers from CTE-related neurological impairment, a condition common among former NFL players who sustained repeated head trauma. Whether this contributed to his decision to keep illegal exotic predators in a Baltimore row house is not clear. What is clear is that two wild animals were living in a residential neighborhood in violation of state law, and nobody intervened until they escaped.
The Banner: Serval Cats Found Running Through Baltimore Streets
The Exotic Pet Pipeline
Serval escapes are not rare. In 2024, a serval was captured in Philadelphia after weeks on the loose. In 2023, one was found roaming a neighborhood in Fairfield, Ohio. In Virginia, a serval attacked a child in 2021. Each incident follows the same pattern: someone buys a wild animal, discovers they cannot control it, and it escapes or attacks.
The animals end up in sanctuaries — if they survive. The owners get fined. And the next buyer is already scrolling through exotic pet listings on Instagram.
Two servals in the snow in Baltimore. One NFL player with a "comfort pet" exemption that does not exist. The exotic pet trade is unregulated enough that this keeps happening and nobody is surprised anymore.
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