An unusual henhouse invader was shot Tuesday by a farmer in Chester County, near Philadelphia.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission was informed of the exotic cat sighting by a farm manager who called that evening claiming a cheetah-like animal was in his chicken coop killing chickens.

Informed that he had authority to kill the animal to protect his livestock, the farmer shot and killed what turned out to be a serval, a predator native to the African savannah and mountains that feeds on birds, small rodents and occasionally larger animals.

The serval is related to the African golden cat and the caracal. Average body length is about 34 inches, plus a 16-inch tail. It stands about 21 inches at the shoulder and males can weigh up to 55 pounds. The serval is not a threatened species, but is considered at risk for threatened status if commercial trade isn't controlled.

The Game Commission and state police investigated an unconfirmed cougar attack in October in Lancaster County, but officials don't believe the incidents are related. The serval is believed to have escaped from a private owner. An investigation has been opened regarding the lawful ownership of the animal.

For the second time in four months, substantial amounts of gasoline were leaked into Turtle Creek or its tributary. The Allegheny County stream is stocked with brown and rainbow trout between Murrysville and Trafford by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

In Tuesday's incident, environmental cleanup crews were deployed in three areas along Turtle Creek and Route 22 in Murrysville, and Department of Environmental Protection officials took samples of Turtle Creek. The extent of any fish kill was yet to be determined and would depend on the amount of flow and turbulence in the creek.

In July, more than 100 gallons of gasoline leaked from a Murrysville gas station and entered Thompson Run, which flows into Abers Creek, a tributary of Turtle Creek. More than 200 fish were reported killed, mostly catfish and suckers, as well as crayfish, along a half a mile of Thompson Run. No trout were killed.

Fall trout stockings have begun in Allegheny County, but Turtle Creek isn't scheduled to receive fish until spring.

You've scouted the area you intend to hunt, sighted your gun and de-scented your clothing. Before you hit the woods tomorrow, you might hit the Game Commission's Web site for regional field reports from Wildlife Conservation Officers. The Web page was developed to enable field officers to share perspectives and observations on game and furbearer trends in their districts, and to help hunters and trappers to plan their hunts. Find the information at www.pgc.state.pa.us.

"Our field officers spend a tremendous amount of time afield, often in areas hunters and trappers are eager to learn more about," said Game Commission executive director Carl Roe. "Their observations have value to hunters and trappers, so we decided to make them accessible to anyone who enjoys hunting and trapping in Pennsylvania."

Ken Underkoffer, president of Trout Unlimited's Pennsylvania council, will review the status of the state's brook trout, its history, biology and threats to its survival, when he speaks at the Dec. 8 general member's meeting of Penn's Woods West Trout Unlimited.

The meeting is free, open to the public and starts at 7 p.m. at the Brentwood VFW on Rt. 51 in Brentwood. For details call 412-963-2824.

Mark DeFrank of Uniontown's DeFrank's Flies placed third among some 360 fly tiers from across the country in Fly Tyer Magazine's annual fly-tying championship.

The contest was conducted in cooperation with the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum in Livingston Manor, New York.

DeFrank's winning patterns were a Royal Wulff and his Wiggle Hex, and the prize was his choice of an Orvis Helios Rod or a large-arbor Battenkill reel.