Serval in protected areas across its range, and hunting of servals is either prohibited or regulated in several countries. The scientific name of the serval is "Leptailurus serval". It is the sole member of the genus "Leptailurus". The species was first described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber as "Felis serval". In 1858, Russian naturalist Nikolai Severtzov proposed the genus name "Leptailurus". In the 19th and 20th centuries, some taxonomists inspected serval skins and identified two species on the basis of coat pattern: "Felis serval" (serval), with large, pronounced spots, and "F. servalina" or "F. ornata" (servaline cat), marked
Operation Serval Operation Serval Operation Serval () was a French military operation in Mali. The aim of the operation was to oust Islamic militants from the north of Mali, who had begun a push into the center of Mali. Operation Serval followed the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2085 of December 20, 2012 and an official request by the Malian interim government for French military assistance. The operation ended on July 15, 2014, and was replaced by Operation Barkhane, launched on August 1, 2014 to fight Islamist fighters in the Sahel. Three of the five Islamic leaders, Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, Abdel Krim