Photo by MERRIMACK POLICE "Spartacus," the pet serval that went missing from his Merrimack home last week, has been located and reunited with his family.

MERRIMACK – A town-wide search came to a happy ending Saturday, when “Spartacus,” a pet serval owned by a Peaslee Road family, was captured and returned home after spending nearly three days on the lam.

Police announced on the department’s Facebook page that the serval, a long and lean, cat-like animal native to Africa, was trapped not far from home and appears no worse for the wear.

Photos that appeared with the initial Facebook post, in which police asked for the public’s assistance in locating Spartacus, drew plenty of interest, given most people had never seen a serval and didn’t know owning them is legal, and is permitted by state Fish and Game officials.

“Thank you for all the interest and shares,” police wrote on behalf of Spartacus’s family in the post announcing he had been found.

–DEAN SHALHOUP

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