Huge Cats GO GREEN! How Tigers Recycle!

Enrichment Provides High quality to Life
Bobcat Enrichment (images are from pumpkin enrichment)
At Huge Cat Rescue, the volunteers fashioned a committee to give attention to the event of applicable enrichment for the animals in our care. When utilizing totally different enrichment strategies, the animals may be stimulated to research and discover their environment. This may be achieved by presenting novel meals gadgets (or presenting meals in several methods), in addition to novel objects and smells. The presentation of recent gadgets and smells will help relieve boredom and enhance the general welfare of the animals. The committee determined to focus our enrichment on attempting to encourage elevated pure behaviors in our captive cats.
Being a sanctuary to roughly 150 cats we needed to determine precisely the place to start out. As a committee we decided the best method to strategy our activity was one species at a time. We began with our bobcats for various causes. We’re dwelling to a major variety of them (over 40) at a variety of ages. Additionally, they represented quite a lot of backgrounds. Some had been pets, some got here from fur farms, some had been hand-raised and a few got here from the wild.
For our examine of bobcats and enrichment, we used the SPIDER mannequin, which was introduced by workers from Disney’s Animal Kingdom at a latest convention attended by some our our volunteers. SPIDER stands for Setting Objectives, growing a Plan, Implementation, Documentation, Analysis, and Readjustment. This introduced a easy and arranged system for us to observe.
The committee then used an inventory of inquiries to analysis bobcat conduct within the wild. These questions associated to their searching strategies and prey, territories and markings, threats, interactions with different animals in addition to different observations. We additionally reviewed the histories of our present bobcat inhabitants and examined their enclosures. We investigated what bobcats did of their pure surroundings after which brainstormed methods to attempt to encourage and recreate these behaviors of their enclosures right here.
From our analysis, we had been capable of goal various behaviors that we wished to encourage with our bobcats. These included grooming, water play, sunning, climbing and denning. When the committee developed concepts to recreate these behaviors, the concepts had been then submitted to our workers and veterinarian for additional approval. (You will need to think about particular person well being points for every cat when figuring out the appropriateness of several types of enrichment.) Thesesteps coated the purpose setting and planning a part of our mannequin. Subsequent got here the enjoyable half, the implementation!
For grooming, we used scents that we may spray into their enclosures. We used star anise and vanilla steeped in water. We then put the scented water into squirt weapons and sprayed logs and timber within the bobcat habitats. (Only a word: the star anise was way more well-liked than the vanilla.) The bobcats would often discover the scent and both roll round or rub towards the realm we had sprayed. We discovered that when a number of bobcats had been housed in the identical enclosure, they might usually begin to groom one another as nicely. This was most likely one in all our extra profitable enrichment objectives and it was enjoyable to look at the responses of the cats. They liked it!
Throughout our analysis, we found that bobcats will generally spend time within the water. We bought a galvanized tub that was giant sufficient for the bobcats to play in, however sufficiently small to be simply moved from cage to cage. The bathtub was positioned inside an enclosure and was crammed with just a few inches of water. We discovered that a few of our bobcats actually loved splashing round and investigating the water.
We additionally wished to seek out methods to encourage our bobcats to solar themselves and climb, which had been different pure behaviors that we studied. This concerned analyzing our present enclosures. We needed to decide which cages naturally had rocks and logs in sunny spots or timber for climbing and if or how we may enhance or change the others. We used scented treats within the larger spots of their enclosures to encourage them to climb. The bobcats appeared to get pleasure from this as nicely. We did word, nevertheless, that on our forms of cage wire, the cats that had been clawed generally had issue climbing the cage itself. We restricted any treats on the cage itself to cats that had been declawed.
Our analysis additionally revealed that bobcats will usually create non permanent dens. To encourage this conduct, we positioned giant packing containers of their enclosures. The packing containers had holes in them giant sufficient for the cats to enter. The outcomes of this had been blended. A few of our bobcats liked them (though they didn’t essentially use them for dens) and a few of them weren’t .
After every implementation of enrichment, we evaluated our successes and failures, decided what modifications we wanted to make and generally tried once more (the readjustment a part of the mannequin). The changes we made had been famous above.
So far as documentation, we determined the best means for us to report our enrichment was to make an inventory of all of our animals. When one in all our volunteers offers an animal enrichment, the date and kind of enrichment is logged on the checklist. The lists are up to date month-to-month.
The enrichment committee at Huge Cat Rescue has discovered this mannequin to be useful in organizing, researching and documenting our progress. Now we have realized a lot extra about our animals by this course of and with that information, really feel like we may give them higher care whereas they’re with us. We hope you should utilize a number of the info we have now shared right here. For extra details about enrichment or Huge Cat Rescue, you may go to the website online at bigcatrescue.org.
Former Volunteer, Carolyne Clendinen
Reactions ran from leaping, pouncing, rubbing, drooling, spraying, guarding and consuming the pumpkins. Like most issues, one of the best issues in life are free.
These had been a number of the ploys utilized by zoo keepers throughout America to entertain captive cats. Our Volunteers implement them right here for our animal’s enjoyment.
Laser Mouse: The crimson pin gentle pointing system. The cats will chase this factor wherever, simply do not level it of their eyes. Even throughout the day, the beam is brilliant sufficient to catch their consideration.
All Spice or simply about another cooking spice will “spice” up an outdated toy or trigger the cat to rub throughout a log of particular spot. Ask for outdated stuff at groceries or spice sellers.
Catnip
Cantaloupe, coconut, apples in water bucket
Use yogurt containers to make blood- cicles for the cats to lick within the warmth. Use bucket kinds to make them for the Tigers. You may get loads of blood at meals prep at 7 pm every night time.
Transfer their cage furnishings round to make issues extra attention-grabbing, simply watch out to not make an escape route.
Don’t use staples, tape, wire or string in making everlasting cage toys.
Pinecones, dipped in blood with meat chips smushed in are nice amusement, however not on Mondays because the cats is likely to be hungry sufficient to eat the cone.
Civet poop may be very fragrant. Have a pattern examined by the vet to ensure there are not any parasites to move alongside.
Pumpkins stuffed with crickets. The crickets will hand around in the pumpkin for meals and the cats could have enjoyable chasing them if they do not. Use pure vine to hold hen wings in order that the cat can fake to seize it is meals. Watch out that the cat can’t dangle it is self. Tape recorder enjoying chicken calls sealing in a plastic ball. Geoffroy cats, put their litter packing containers as excessive up as you may as they use timber within the wild.
Astroturf, outdoors Lemur cage, however inside attain. Unfold with peanut butter and allow them to choose at all of it day. Remember to wash completely.
Rest room paper rolls make nice locations to cover treats for cats, lemurs, civets, coati and many others…
Coaching dummies soaked in searching scents, like rabbit and grouse, hung from heavy obligation plastic chains, at simply above nostril top, will preserve
Mark this as a “Favorites” web page after which try these nice enrichment concepts: http://www.enrichment.org/pattern.html
The animals enclosure ought to provide them with ongoing issues to do.
Above proper, Pisces, the Fishing Cat catches a fish in his stocked pond.
All tigers ought to have entry to a pool. Three of our tigers have entry to a lake through which they’ll swim. 11 of our tigers retired right here of their golden years and had by no means had the chance to swim, so shallow cooling swimming pools had been created for them to insure they did not drown. Their swimming pools over look the lake and have pumps that preserve the water from the spring fed lake circulating by the pool after which again to the lake through a water fall. This creates a pleasant environment through which the cats can lounge on the lake’s edge and dream in regards to the swans and geese they might catch.
A really cheap method to amuse cats for hours is to make use of paper towel, rest room paper and material tubes to carry varied meats that are not the cats typical fare. The tubes are someday sprayed with perfumes, or marinated in spices. All of our volunteers accumulate these card board tubes and save them up for enrichment days. Considered one of our supporters, Kay King has a material associated firm and donates the material tubes for the bigger cats. Picture by Anissa Camp of Mary Ann Reeds fingers.
The cats will spend hours carrying the tubes round as in the event that they caught the “prey” themselves. They roll on them, drool on them and finally shred them to items to get to the great things inside. This stimulates all of their pure predatory instincts and supplies a protected type of amusement. Picture by Anissa Camp of Shadow the Western Cougar sniffing his tube to see what the thriller deal with of the day is.
Enrichment on a Finances
Being a non-profit sanctuary poses a number of obstacles for enrichment actions. Many assets, primarily time and cash, are extraordinarily restricted. Volunteers are required to put on a number of hats to make sure a protected and wholesome life for our animals. So as to add enrichment actions to the exhausting cleansing, upkeep, and fund elevating was a frightening prospect. However regardless of the wrestle, Huge Cat Rescue in Tampa, FL has carried out a profitable enrichment program.
Lots of the enrichment varieties we make the most of have already been talked about in a number of locations, so this text will focus extra on how we have carried out this system, giving some perception into the challenges we confronted.
One of many first actions taken was to find out what enrichment actions completely couldn’t be achieved. Mimicking foraging and different food-based enrichments are often main actions at giant establishments. We see the good thing about such tasks, however will not be capable of implement any for our carnivores. Because of the truth that all animals are housed outdoors in Florida climate, mealtime comes simply earlier than nightfall for all meat-eaters. Some other feeding time would run the chance of accelerating our bug and parasite populations. One other adverse side is that the volunteers who put together meals will not be all the time those overseeing enrichment, so there’s room for error in food plan.
As a substitute, bite-sized “treats” are utilized in food-puzzles or as motivation to examine a brand new object. Utilizing frozen fish for enrichment has confirmed very profitable. We really feel that as a result of fish isn’t an merchandise utilized in our common food plan preparation, it’s a novelty itself. Frozen fish bought by the bag is cheap, and the lengthy shelf life helps with our time constraints. A typical use of meals in our enrichment program is to cover a chunk of smelt inside a paper towel roll with the ends curled in. We have obtained optimistic responses from Cougars (Felis concolor), Servals (Felis serval), Caracals (Felis caracal), in addition to Binturongs (Arctictis Binturong) and African Civets (Civettictis civetta).
After figuring out what enrichment actions had been unsuitable for our program, we then brainstormed the benefit of implementing the actions left on the desk. It might appear that the animals are being short-changed by our practical strategy, eliminating very efficient and helpful actions. However it’s our cautious considering and information of how the sanctuary have to be run day-after-day that permits this system to proceed and flourish.
After all of the planning, we ended up with a choice of simple to implement, use and monitor actions to complement all the species (over 25!) on the sanctuary. Lots of the supplies wanted may be saved from the trash (yogurt cups make the right measurement bloodcicle to suit by our cages). We modified tasks that required buying gadgets to make use of issues that had been low-cost and simply accessible. For instance, a undertaking that intrigued us was to chop holes in a gourd and stuff it with liverwurst. Gourds are seasonal and may be costly, so we modified the exercise to make use of potatoes. An apple corer is used lengthwise on the potato, after which the left over middle can be utilized to both plug the potato, including a stage of issue to the exercise, or the middle is rolled in candy basil and pumpkin spice and given to our Geoffroy’s cats (Felis geoffroyi). The Geoffroy’s have proven way more response to olfactory stimulation than another toy or meals.
What ties our enrichment program collectively is a database the place all actions are recorded. This database tracks the date, species, title, enrichment sort, and the animal’s response. The species, animal title, and enrichment sort are fields that have to be chosen from lists. We’re alerted when an try is made so as to add an merchandise to those lists. This offers us a possibility to comprehend one thing new has occurred and we should always focus on it with the remainder of the group.
Moreover studies on all of the animals, the database can search on any of the primary 4 fields (date, title, species, enrichment sort). This enables for all kinds of inquiries to be answered. Straight away, we will be taught who obtained enrichment final, what forms of enrichment a sure species has responded to and the way, in addition to check out particular person circumstances.
Particularly, we have now many cougars that had been privately owned and really get pleasure from human firm. Whereas that is an added bonus to assist look after them, they usually choose the enrichment volunteer to the enrichment exercise. This can be very helpful to have at our fingertips a person historical past on every cougar of what has been provided them and the way they’ve responded.
Huge Cat Rescue homes over 200 animals on 40 acres. With volunteers enterprise the day by day workload, beginning an enrichment program appeared unattainable. However with cautious planning earlier than implementation and the open communication of the database, we have now logged a whole bunch enrichment actions and have seen great reactions from all of our animals. Now that the preliminary hurdles have been conquered, we’re taking steps to implement a number of the extra labor-intense enrichment actions beforehand discarded.