It is the small things that remind us that we are truly making a difference. It's wonderful to know that the tigers have had this tire for at least a month and a half, but they still find it interesting. Thank you to the donor who made these tires possible and thank you Katie for capturing this moment.
I have to take a moment to say thank you to our maintenance crew and everyone who dedicated their time and effort to prepare the animals for the winter. You all have done a wonderful job and have made a huge difference.
Hey! Yesterday was a fun enrichment day for our monkeys and some of our exotic cats. Our monkeys got to get a taste of home when we gave them bamboo. Our tufted capuchins (think "Dexter" on Night at the Museum) especially loved it as they made their little "oooh-oooh!" sounds as they picked at and dragged their bamboo around.
Our exotic cats got to sniff some new scents. We used spices including cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves. Carrie, our caracal, especially loved the smell of cinnamon we sprinkled in her enclosure. She was rolling around and sniffing at it as if it were catnip.
I posted a few videos below, but to see more go to our Youtube page here
FUN FACT: the word "caracal" comes from the Turkish word karakulak which means "ears". You'll see why their name is derived from the word "ears" in the video.
I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of the wonderful people who have brought in donations to help with enrichment and getting the animals ready for winter. The support has made a huge difference and is truly appreciated. Also, I would like to thank our staff and volunteers for all of the hard work and sincere effort that they are putting forth right now. We are all enjoying all of the positive change and the team work.
It is a new beginning and we are off to a wonderful start with the great advice that we are receiving from others and all of the words of encouragement, we are looking forward to a bright future.
Here are some of our lions in action (Sheba, Tarzan, and Sebastian) who are interested in some fresh hay we added into their den in their enclosure (completely ignoring the hanging barrel we had just placed inside). Sebastian- our huge male lion- runs off with a mouthful of hay in his mouth and lays down and licks it like his own personal blanky. Pretty funny!
FUN FACT: Why do our males not have manes? In the wild, the male lion's mane is used to attract the females.
The bigger the mane, the better chance of attracting a girl! Since our males are fixed, their bodies view the mane as an unnecessary accessory they are carrying around because they lack almost all of their testosterone and the ability to reproduce; therefore, they have no need to attract a female..... Lucky for Sebastian and Tarzan, they still have their lioness Sheba (who is definitely the boss in this small, lion pride) ;-).
