THE ISLAND's Wildheart Trust has launched a national campaign to ban a type of cat breeding that causes untold harm and long-term damage to feline species.

The ‘Servival’ campaign seeks to make the UK one of the few countries in the world to ban the practice of breeding wild feline species with domestic felines (creating hybrid cats, such as Savannah cats).

They say the comparison would be breeding a wolf with a poodle.

The campaign name combines references to the Serval cat, an exotic felid native to Africa, and the urgent need to help protect the health and welfare of this species in captivity and the wild.

Today, the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, which is run by The Wildheart Trust, will be providing a forever home for two rescued servals from the pet trade that were found locked in tiny rooms suffering from deformed and broken legs. Scroll down for video

The campaign has been backed by the RSPCA, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, animal rescue organisation AAP, and animal charity Born Free.

The unnatural breeding of exotic felids with domestic cats causes a number of issues, including a new generation of animals not fully domesticated, who can suffer from inadequate welfare standards when kept as pets.

There has been a rapidly increasing number of rescued Servals and Savannah cats around Europe, indicating an escalating problem.

The trust says the growing demand for hybrid cats is being driven by celebrity influencers and an explosion in the unregulated sale of hybrid kittens via social media platforms.

The breeding, buying and selling in the UK is happening within the law.

Lawrence Bates, chief operating officer of the sanctuary, said: “There is no place for this type of breeding in the 21st century. "These cats may appear cute and cuddly, but they are derived from a wild species and should certainly not be kept as pets in people’s homes.

"We have a moral responsibility to treat animals with dignity and not as commodities to be corrupted for pleasure or commercial gain.

"At the trust, we are all too aware of seeing cat species being treated despicably.

"That’s why we are calling on the UK government to tackle this issue by making this form of hybridisation illegal and to toughen up licensing laws which we believe are not fit for purpose.”

The trust calls on the UK government to change the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill to ban this breeding process, and to set a high bar for animal welfare practices in the UK which currently do not adequately cater for or regulate the husbandry requirements of these animals.

The trust is supported by Bob Seely, MP for the Isle of Wight.

He said: “I am supportive of the campaign to ban the breeding of exotic felids with domestic cats in the UK and I have written to Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ask that government include greater protections for exotic cats in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.

"In addition, I have also raised this issue with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs through a written parliamentary question asking if his department has, or intend to, make provisions to ban or require licenses for the breeding of Savannah hybrid cats.

"Clearly there needs to be tighter rules around this and I thank the trust for bringing the matter to the attention of the UK government.”

To learn more about the campaign go to wildheartanimalsanctuary.com/servival