Police raided the home of a man identified only as T.T. after receiving a tip about the cat, who was sedated by a veterinary and taken to nearby Faruk Yalçın Zoo and Botanical Park.

The Savannah cat's wild ancestors, serval cats naturally populate the African continent, and are forbidden to hunt.  

While Turkey doesn't currently have criminal laws preventing cruelty against animals, the Environment and Urbanization Ministry has ongoing efforts to combat bio-smuggling.