2005 Diary Entries
January | February | March | April | May | June
July
01/07/2005 | 08/07/2005
07/01/2005
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Tiger toys
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Interactive displays between tigers and handlers are enjoyable to visitors, handlers and the animals. With only a handful of interactive tiger displays around the world, Australia Zoo is one of the newest zoo’s to take on this exciting venture.
Having handlers spend all day with tigers is not just a great way for us to educate visitors to the Zoo about these awesome predators, it is also a great way for us to enrich the cats. Tigers, like many big cats, can get frustrated and even bored if left with little to do for too long. We are out to give our tigers the best quality of life and one way in which we are able to do this is through the use of toys.
Selecting “Tiger Toys” can sometimes be a bit of a problem though. Having exceptionally sharp teeth and claws, toys don’t usually last very long. Soccer balls for instance will only usually last about ten minutes. What we have found is that tough, expensive toys aren’t always the solution - hard plastic barrels don’t even last. Instead it is the simple toys, like an inflated bag on the end of a pole, that are most effective; they really love to destroy stuff!
While we are still searching for the ultimate “Tiger Toy”, we will continue to come up with new ideas for toys. They may not last very long but is sure keeps us busy.
Until next time - Tigers Rule!
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Cleo and Sheeba
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Yes, it has happened! The Big Cat Section has just expanded it’s collection with the arrival of four gorgeous Cheetah Cubs. The new additions are just the start of Australia Zoo’s long term commitment to help save these awesome animals. A large captive population and a breeding program will be set up to help out this endangered species.
With two males (eight months) and two females (four months), we will strive to give these animals an excellent captive environment.
The two female Cheetah are siblings from a large litter of eight cubs born in Monarto Zoo - South Australia. The mother of these cubs attempted to raise the cubs on her own but fell ill so the cubs were removed and hand raised by the staff at Monarto Zoo. Australia Zoo decided to take on two of the cubs and they arrived with us just two weeks ago.
Our two males are also siblings and they came to us from DeWilt’s Cheetah Research Centre near Pretoria in South Africa. DeWilt’s is working hard, with not only their research, but their breeding program also and were more than happy to supply us with two male Cheetah.
‘Cleo’ and ‘Sheeba’ the two girls are on display daily in our cub enclosure, but only for a short time. Cheetah grow quite fast in the first year of life, so it won’t take long for them to out-grow the display. The two boys are still getting used to their new environment, but it won’t be long and they will be walking through the Zoo.
Look out for more Cheetah updates in the future and we hope to see you at the Zoo. Until next time … Cheetah Rule!
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The talk at the Beerwah RSL
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| Education is the name of the game |
Saving endangered species all over the world is a huge task and we are more than happy to lend a hand. Last week, Australia Zoo worked closely with Matt Hunt of Wild Aid, and Jo Heffernan of F.F.I (Flora and Fauna-International) to help raise much needed funds for their efforts in world-wide conservation.
Jo and Matt organised a three week trip to Australia, visiting ARAZPA (Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums) member institutions around the continent in their efforts to raise money to help aid them with their work. Australia Zoo was the first stop and in just two days we managed to raise $9000 through the sale of merchandise, donations and the auctioning of some fabulous paintings designed by one of the orphaned elephants in Matt’s care. Jo and Matt also put together an informative talk to demonstrate the work they carry out in the field to directly help wildlife, with particular reference to Sumatra and Cambodia. The talk was held at the local RSL and the support from the Australia Zoo staff was overwhelming.
Both of the organisations contribute world-wide to help save entire ecosystems from destruction and the first step in the fight to save endangered species is often to get the local people on your side. In many cases the destruction of wildlife or its habitat forms a primary source of income, so for many people education is the name of the game. The horrific trade of animals and their body parts is one of the major concerns in this region, so FFI and Wild Aid have programs set up throughout parts of Asia to educate people on the effects they are having on the surrounding environment. It is only by helping these people understand the importance of their surroundings and the effect its destruction will have on them and their own survival that we can hope to make a true difference for the wildlife.
Australia Zoo will continue to work with these two organisations, and provide as much support as possible. While there are animals suffering, we will be there to lend a helping hand.
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Angie with Cleo
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| Kristy with Foxy |
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| Cleo and Sheeba, 19 weeks old |
What a month we have had in the Big Cats Department! The crew just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Along with our four new cheetah cubs, we employed some new staff. The two new members to our team are Angie and Kristy.
You may have seen Angie around the Zoo, playing in the mud pool with our wombats or feeding our echidnas some tasty termites. But now she is working with mammals of a different kind. Angie has travelled to a variety of exotic locations around the world, broadening her knowledge of animals. She has proven herself to be very suitable to work with cheetahs here at Australia Zoo, and we are very glad to have her on our team.
Another familiar face has also recently joined the cheetah crew. Kristy has been at Australia Zoo since 2003 as a wildlife Rover. You may have seen her bringing a snake to visit you at the Reptile Show, or harnessing a wombat to get ready for its daily walk. Now she is working with our four beautiful cheetah cubs. Kristy has shown that she is as passionate about cheetahs as she is about just about everything. She is very excited to be part of such an enthusiastic team, and can’t wait to educate people about how we can help wild cheetahs.
The majority of Angie and Kristy's days are now spent bonding with our four cheetahs. They are very accepting of new people and new environments, so getting the cheetahs familiar with new staff is just like giving them a new toy to jump all over and play with. The two new crew members will also be assisting with the daily duties, including food preparation, cleaning and helping out on tiger walks. Not bad going I’d say!
So next time your at Australia Zoo, come visit our cheetahs and say g’day to Angie and Kristy.
Until next time… Big Cats rule!
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| Robbie mark training with Khan |
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| Robbie mark training with Khan |
Over the past few weeks, the tigers have been introduced to target training as part of their enrichment. All five of the tigers are doing really well and took to the training almost instantly.
Firstly, the tigers were introduced to mark training which involves a “mark board” that the tigers are called to with a simple command. When the tiger places both front paws on the board, a food reward is then given. The tiger will only get the reward if the process was done correctly. As the tigers improve with their training, the mark board will get smaller and less noticeable until the tigers can determine an object as small as a leaf to target.
Target training will be helpful to us in the future with filming or photo shoots but can also be extremely helpful in moving the cats into new places as well. The tiger can be called to a point without the assistance of a handler. Hopefully this training will be shown in future presentations at the Zoo which will demonstrate the intelligence of these fearsome predators.
Other forms of target training are slowly being introduced to the tigers but we’ll talk more about that when their training advances.
Until next time - We’ll see you at the Zoo!
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Cleo and Sheeba hanging out with Echo
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| Echo and Foxy crash tackling |
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| Ready to take the hit |
Over the last 3 weeks our four cheetah cubs have been very busy. We have been introducing the boys to the girls in the off display area. Cleo & Sheeba (the girls) are now 5 months old, and Foxy & Echo (the boys) are 9 months old. The girls are weighing in at 9 kilograms, and the boys are the heavy-weights at 25 kilograms.
Their off display has 2 separate areas including den boxes for them to sleep in. Inside the enclosure there is a large mound providing them with the best view in Beerwah. When the Cheetahs sit on top of the hill they can see all around the Zoo, and they quite enjoy watching everybody hard at work while they are relaxing.
The first few days of the introductions involved a barrier so as there was no physical contact, but they were still able to familiarise themselves with each other. During this time the cats could also ‘talk’ to each other and at this time there was a lot of verbal communication. On the first day, the girls ran straight down to the fence hissing and stamping their feet, showing the boys how scary they were. They boys, still relatively young themselves, responded by wanting to get in there and play with the girls. With all four cubs being less than 9 months old, everything in their life is about playing.
During the next couple of days we directly introduced them but all four were on leads. With all of them in together and within reach of each other, there was a lot more action going on. There were some vocalisations and even a bit of physical contact as they were just working each other out. Once again though it was the girls showing the boys who was boss.
Today all four cheetahs enjoy each other’s company. During our walks around the Zoo they give each other a lot of comfort and support. Our walks around the Zoo are quite an adventure. Once one starts to run, the rest follow and even at their young age, they are still capable of running at about 50km/hr. Needless to say, they keep us nice and fit.
During the next couple of months we will be introducing the public to our cheetahs through our “Cheetah Experience”. This is where YOU can come along on a walk with us, get some happy photos and feel their beautiful fur. You may even get to hear one purr! All the money raised from the Cheetah Experience is going straight back into conservation. In conjunction with DeWildts Cheetah Research Centre in South Africa we will help fund projects such as tracking wild cheetahs and setting up release programs. We are hoping that by the end of April we will have raised enough money to fund our first cheetah release in South Africa.
Currently in the wild, cheetahs are not facing a bright future. Farmers in Africa have been coming into conflict with wild cheetahs and often the cheetah is unduly blamed for encroaching on farmed livestock. As a consequence of this confrontation, cheetahs are being shot. We are supporting radio tracking programs that will notify research centers of cheetah movements. This will tell the local people how often the cheetahs are actually visiting their property. This in turn will hopefully change their minds about the impact these wonderful cats actually have on their livestock and therefore allow them to live alongside cheetahs without conflict.
For many years these spotted beauties and many other cats have been slaughtered simply because of their exquisite fur. In the past, warriors believed that if they wore the fur of the cheetah, they would summon its speed and grace. Even today some people believe they can achieve the cheetah’s elegance by wearing is fur.
How can you help though? You can always help projects in the field by participating in our Cheetah Experience but most importantly be a voice. Speak out against wildlife products and help to educate others against wearing fur products, or purchasing other animal body parts. With your support you can help us save these beautiful cats.
Until next time... Cheetahs rule!
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Kahn licking Lisa's hand
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Lots of emails and questions are coming in from people wanting to know if a tigers tongue is rough, like a domestic cat. The tongue of a tiger is the same as a lot of household cats but if you could imagine it ten times larger.
The tiny barbs found on a tigers tongue are used primarily as a tool for grooming. Tiger cubs aren’t too keen to spend hours a day cleaning themselves when they could be running around, jumping on each other. Mature tigers will spend a lot of time throughout the day and night grooming their coats and each others.
Another purpose of the tigers tongue is to assist them with eating prey items. The sand paper like tongue, is used to strip meat from the bone.
Each and every day, as a tiger handler, we find out just how rough the tigers tongues really are. Just like household cats, our tigers show affection by grooming us but we usually have to stop it after a few strokes. If the tigers continuously lick one part of your body, it becomes sore and tender - a lick on the forehead is the worst, it leaves scratch marks!
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Kahn doing one of his first jumps
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Following on from the article, two weeks ago, on ‘mark training’ - we have been expanding the tiger’s activities by introducing them to ‘jumps’. Just like mark training, the tigers took to jumping ‘like a duck to water’ as they say, but who could blame them when there is meat as a reward.
Jumps involve the tiger jumping from a log or a rock to a small meat reward on the end of a long bamboo pole. When the tigers improve on this skill, we can incorporate the same principle to show the tiger’s climbing abilities to our guests.
The Bengal Tigers took to this new skill so well that they are delighting visitors to the Zoo with their new found talent after only a couple of training sessions. Believe me there is nothing more impressive than a full grown tiger scaling a dead vertical climb. Khan and Manas are enjoying jumping for meat in the Crocoseum as part of their early training during the presentation.
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A patron with Cleo (left) and Sheeba (right)
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The newest animal encounter at Australia Zoo has just started, and it went off with a bang! The Cheetah cubs are now delighting visitors to the Zoo through our Cheetah walks. The first walk took place just days ago, but it wasn’t as simple as putting a lead on the cubs and going for a walk.
The Cheetah had to go through months of training and conditioning on a daily basis to bring them up to scratch. The cubs started their training by being conditioned to walking on a lead (not as easy as putting a lead on a new puppy at home). The Cheetah were then conditioned to the Zoo environment and people were slowly brought into the picture.
The first walk with 'Cleo' and 'Sheeba', our two girls, went really well and the guests had a wonderful time. Just like our Tiger Walks, the Cheetah Encounter will help us to raise money for conservation. Proceeds from the Cheetah Walks will benefit organisations working in Africa to help save these endangered animals.
If you are interested in an awesome CHEETAH ENCOUNTER, all the information can be found on the website or at our information desk at the Zoo. Remember - bookings are essential.
Until next week … Hooroo from the Big Cat Team!
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Singha the Sumatran Tiger
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| Two teeth from a tiger |
Singha (our little, female Sumatran Tiger) has had some discomfort over the last few days as her adult teeth have started to emerge. Just two weeks after celebrating her first birthday, Singha is maturing faster than her two brothers by losing her teeth sooner.
Tigers usually get their first teeth at around four to six weeks and end up with about twenty-six baby teeth. When tigers reach 13 months, they usually have the majority, if not all, of their thirty adult teeth.
The canine teeth of a full grown tiger can reach five inches (including the root). Although Singha’s teeth are only small at this stage, they will become one of the world's greatest tools for killing.
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The tigers getting use to the new enclosure
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With only a few weeks until our massive Tiger Temple opens to the public, the tigers are getting ready to impress crowds on opening day. The past week has seen the tigers hanging out with the handlers in the enclosure so that they feel comfortable in their new surroundings.
The tigers are settling in well and the construction blokes working outside provide entertainment. Having different people working out the front is great because it allows the tigers to see multiple people at once (getting them ready for the opening).
The tiger enclosure is an Asian themed exhibit that we have nicknamed Tiger Temple. The enclosure provides glass fronted viewing so visitors can get up close with our tigers.
There is one other surprise to our enclosure but you will have to visit once it is open to see that!
Until next week, Tiger Temple rules!
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Becky playing with Cleo
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Another new installment to the Big Cat Crew! Everybody meet Becky. She has just been welcomed in this week as a new cheetah handler.
Becky has been around animals all her life. She has been riding horses since she was 7 and competing for the following 15 years. Becky then landed a job at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in 2002. She has worked with the likes of koalas, venomous snakes, freshwater crocodiles and many other animals. However working with Big Cats has always been Becky’s passion. In the past week Becky has been introduced to all the cheetahs. She has been watching and learning about all their individual behaviours.
In the following months Becky will learn about walking the cheetahs on leash in through the public, conditioning and training the cheetahs, and many more new and exciting things are planned for Becky and the cheetahs.
The "Tiger Temple" is opening this Easter weekend and the cheetahs will be sharing the exhibit. With an 80m long exhibit, we’ll be running around and playing with the cheetahs having a ball. So come and visit our cheetahs and tigers and say hi to our new cheetah handler Becky.
Until next time … Cheetahs rule!
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The tigers relaxing in their new enclosure
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| Checking out the patrons from there new enclosure |
Australia Zoo’s brand new tiger enclosure has been completed and is opened for public viewing. People visiting the Zoo over the recent Easter weekend were thrilled to see these magnificent animals up close.
The glass-fronted enclosure provides great viewing and gives visitors an up close experience with our gorgeous tigers. Being so close to these animals gives you an appreciation of just how big and powerful these animals really are.
The enclosure gives the tigers a relaxed area to spend the majority of their day and give us, the handlers, an opportunity to spend some quality time with the tigers to build a strong relationship.
The tigers are on display everyday and still taking part in the Tigers LIVE show in the Crocoseum. Tigers are impressive animals and Australia Zoo is the place to really see them in action. Come to the Zoo and see the all new TIGER TEMPLE!
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Singha and Ranu opening their presents
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| Juma with his present |
It was a time to celebrate last Friday as our little Sumatran Tigers had their first birthday. The young trio were treated to a day of fun, with not just one, but three parties!
Singha, Juma and Ranu started the day by opening a few presents as they were put on display in their new playground - Tiger Temple. The presents were large cardboard boxes covered in wrapping paper with some new toys inside (as usual with youngsters, the boxes provided more fun then the toys themselves).
The TigersLIVE show in the Crocoseum gave the tigers a chance to share the celebration with all of the visitors to the Zoo. The Sumatrans were also treated to a plate of whipped cream with a meat “cherry” to top it off.
Khan and Manas our two older Bengal Tigers joined in the celebrations later that afternoon with one more party. All five tigers enjoyed the rest of the afternoon playing, or should I say destroying the new toys.
If you have visited the Zoo before and seen the tigers, you will be shocked at how fast they are growing. The great news is that they are now on display and everyone can see them. The only time they are not in the Temple is when our Cheetah are strutting their stuff in the exhibit.
Next time you’re at the Zoo, take time out to come and see all of our tigers playing in their brand new enclosure, and you may even get to see our Cheetah as well!
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Kahn playing with one of his new toys
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Well, the Tiger Temple has been open for almost a month now and the tigers are settling in really well. All five tigers have built up their confidence and are putting on some pretty good toy sessions.
The tigers have been enjoying themselves so much that we found ourselves dealing with a pile of destroyed toys. The past few days have seen all of the handlers showing their creative side, combining three broken toys to make one.
Robbie, our Big Cat Supervisor, has been running around like a mad chook trying to find the ideal tiger toys (ones that will last longer than five minutes). Toys made of hard rubber or plastic have proven to be the better toys.
The toys that we choose for the tigers are both challenging and enriching, which is great for the well-being of our cats. Each time we try and change the appearance or sound of the toy slightly so that it doesn’t become boring.
These new toys are going to be great for the presentation in the Crocoseum, as well as the toy sessions in the tiger temple. I’m sure that the cheetahs will steal a couple for themselves as well.
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Foxy running around in the new exhibit
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| Checking out the new enclosure |
Our Cheetahs here at Australia Zoo have been sharing the new exhibit with the tigers over the past month and they love it! They love running up and down the 80 metre long exhibit chasing one another and they have even ventured into our lagoon pool.
The full African section is just in the pipeline at the moment and will be completed in the neat future. Until then the cheetahs will be sharing the new tiger temple and you will find them in there a few hours of every day.
Sharing this exhibit with the tigers is also an unusual form of enrichment for our cheetahs. Tigers like to scent mark their territory and leave many interesting smells around the enclosure for our cheetahs to explore and find.
Cheetahs are not known for liking the water too much, but here at the Zoo they definitely make use of the large pool in the exhibit. At first they were quite hesitant, but bit by bit they have grown confidence and through the handlers encouraging them in with the toys it is not unusual to find them swimming in the deep end!
The cheetah’s favourite part about being on display is getting to see the public. They enjoy running along the glass windows chasing young children and prams and would love to be on the other side of the glass for a play. So if you want to see our cheetahs up close and personal and playing their games, we hope to see you very soon at the Tiger Temple!
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Manas stalking from behind a tree
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| Ranu taking it easy in the cheetah enclosure |
Now that all of the cats, tigers and cheetahs, have settled in to the new Tiger Temple exhibit, they are all having more fun than ever before. All five tigers are putting on an awesome show for visitors to the Temple by launching themselves into the pool and making a huge splash.
The four Cheetah cubs aren’t missing out on the fun either because they now get to challenge their speed in the eighty metre long enclosure. Despite the fact that cheetah don’t usually venture into the water, our four are also gaining heaps of confidence in the pool.
When the Cheetah cubs are on display, the tigers are usually wowing audiences in the crocoseum, going for a long walk or playing in one of our off-display enclosures. Over recent weeks, the tigers have been going crazy in the off-display cheetah enclosure. Tall trees, dirt mounds and massive rocks make up the cheetah enclosure and the tigers love it.
With so many hiding spots, we have to keep our eyes peeled as each tiger uses a tree, rock or a shrub to hide and then launch on us by surprise. Sure keeps us on our toes!
As Australia Zoo expands its grounds to cover the African section, the cheetah will get their own open savannah and back of house area. When this occurs the tigers will take over residence of the, now, cheetah enclosure and they will continue to run a muck.
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Field Work at DeWildt's
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| DeWildt's relocation program |
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| DeWildt's cheetah census |
Great news! Australia Zoo has raised enough funds to sponsor a cheetah release in
With the help from funds raised through our cheetah and tiger walks, along with the sales of big cat merchandise, we have currently raised $10 000. We have also had the Big Cat team hard at work hand-making jewellery that comes with its very own photo of our tigers or cheetahs. With everybody’s help we are now able to start on our first project for cheetah conservation. With the money raised we will fund radio collars, tracking equiptment, relocation costs and regular updating for one lucky cheetah in
It costs a lot of money and takes a long time, but everyone here at Australia Zoo, and DeWildt’s feels extremely proud to help such a critically endangered animal.
Our cheetahs and tigers here at the Zoo are ambassadors for big cats in the wild. They help us educate the public on the past, present and future status of the tiger and cheetah. With only about 12 000 – 14 000 cheetah left in the wild and 5 000 tigers, we can only expect that future generations will be unable to admire such animals unless we do something now! Coming up within the next month we will be having some special events to help continue the fundraising. On the 18th of May, our cheetah males Echo and Foxtrot, are turning 1 year old. There’s a huge party happening soon at Australia Zoo and everybodys invited. We’d love to see you here…
Thank you everybody for their help, and thank you to DeWildts cheetah research centre for all the hard work
you put in to help such a beautiful animal.
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Khan and Singa
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Spending so much time with the tigers allows us, the handlers, to maintain our very important relationship with all the cats. The reason that we are able to work with our tigers in an interactive display is based on the fact that we all have an excellent relationship with these animals. The time spent in the Tiger Temple also allows the tigers to form close relationships with each other.
Spending all day with each other, the tigers have selected who they prefer to spend their day with. Manas enjoys spending a couple of hours with the rest of the group but they tend to eventually end up wrestling. Juma just likes to stick by himself away from the others, where as Khan and Singha have formed a really strong relationship. Being the only female of the group, Singha does get picked on especially by her brother Ranu, but she has found protection in her new friend - Khan.
It doesn’t matter where Khan goes, Singha is right by his side and if Khan is removed from display to go for a walk, she hangs close to the gate until he returns. Despite the fact that Khan is fifty kilo’s heavier than Singha, and quite a bit larger, they get on really well.
We are hoping that Singha will also form strong relationships with any male Sumatran Tigers we get in the future, so as to contribute to our captive breeding program for this sub-species of tiger.
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Kristy cutting the cake
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| Kristy with Foxy and Echo and their presents |
None of us can believe that our two little cheetah boys have reached one year of age. It only feels like yesterday that these two young boys arrived from Africa at only six months of age. The last six months have been a ton of fun for Echo and Foxy with the arrival of their girlfriends - Cleo and Sheeba.
Wednesday was full of fun and excitement for all cheetah and handlers alike. We started the day off by taking all four out for a long walk through the Zoo. The cheetahs were treated to their own birthday cake at lunchtime before going absolutely nuts opening their presents.
The celebrations weren’t only confined to the cheetah though as everyone visiting the Zoo were given a chance to get involved. A massive cake in the shape of a cheetah was cut and handed out to everyone. We had heaps of prizes and giveaways including a free cheetah experience, a cheetah print, a huge plush toy cheetah and an Australia Zoo hamper.
Foxy and Echo had an awesome day and it won’t be long until we are able to do it all again when our two little princesses, Cleo and Sheeba, have their first birthday.
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Tanya and Echo
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Hi everyone, my name is Tanya and I'm the new human on the block with the cheetah team! I've worked at the zoo since early 2001, but a very big and exciting career change has come my way. I've been accepted into the cheetah team, and have been here for two weeks now. It's totally awesome, and the cheetahs have been very accepting of me. Firstly, Foxtrot was the most welcoming of the four cheetah. He is very sweet and gentle. Then the two young girls started to take an interest in me. By day three they were coming up to me for pats and enjoying games. Echo is the hardest one to win over! He is very self assured, and unlike his brother Foxtrot, doesn't warm to new people quickly. For the first few days I had a keeper that the cats knew and trusted by my side, just in case they got too curious. But it didn't take long for them to get used to my presence, and by the end of my second week Echo came over to me for a pat! When he did that for the first time ever, I felt as if a great honour had been bestowed to me! The cheetahs are unreal and I am amazed at how quickly they've become comfortable with having me around. I'll keep you all informed of my progress, so until then, bye from me and the cheetahs!
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Foxy making the most of station training
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| Sheeba doing a sit-up |
Over the past week the cheetahs have started their schooling. Their first day was filled with anticipation and excitement. The girls couldn’t wait to get involved and learn, amazing the teachers with every step of progress. However the boys were much happier sitting at the back of the classroom ignoring everything else that was going on around them.
First class was station training. This is where the teacher asks the cheetah to jump up onto the table or rock. They need to have all 4 legs on the station and then sit down. They then are rewarded with a meat treat. The girls switched on to the easily rewarded task and were pushing each other out of the way to get to the station. Then there was Echo. Once he watched the girls complete the take a few times, he tried as well. Being the fiery Echo we have all become to know, he was quite happy telling the teachers when he should get his reward. Frustrated that he wasn’t winning, he slowly walked away curiously looking back every now and then. And then there was Foxy. We all know that Foxy is very lazy and loves to lay down, so station training was just too much effort for him.
Second class was milk training. This is where the teacher holds up a small carton of milk and asks the cheetah to stand up resting its front legs on the teacher's shoulder/arm, lapping milk from the carton. This is called a rise. Once again the girls proved themselves as "A" students. Cleo was the star performer at rises. However Sheeba was much better at doing sit-ups. This is where the cheetah rests their back feet on the ground in a sitting position instead of standing up. Sheeba became quite possessive over the milk, and woudln't stop until the milk was finished. Echo was great at milk training too. Often jumping up on the teacher with all his weight eager to get into it. Foxy even surprised us by getting up a couple of time to join in on milk training.
So, the first day of learning for the cheetahs is now over. They were so exhausted they slept under a bamboo tree the rest of the day, until we do it again tomorrow.
Until next time…cheetahs rule.
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Bec with Echo
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| Echo jumping into the air |
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| Sheeba gets the toy |
Our cheetahs have really been enjoying the cooler weather here in Queensland. They seem to have more energy to burn, so we take advantage of this by getting new toys and having heaps of FUN! My personal favourite is the ‘toy-on-a-string-on-a-pole’ game. We tie toys to a bamboo pole and spin around in circles. The cheetahs LOVE this game, running, jumping and side-stepping in an effort to catch that naughty toy on the rope! It’s also great for our guests at the ‘Tiger Temple’ to watch when the cheetahs are on display there. After much furious running around, the cheetahs will flop to the ground and have a short break to catch their breath. Then it’s on again, running, chasing and jumping! Not only is it fun, it keeps the cats healthy, agile, improves co-ordination and strengthens the keepers bond with the cats.
They also like climbing trees. This is a natural behaviour that wild cheetahs do to better view the environment. They often will scent mark up there too, in the form of urine or scats. In the exhibit, you will regularly see toys hanging for tree limbs. The cheetahs like to swat at them from the ground, or climb the tree and try to pull the toy up!
So as you can see, playing is fun, but it’s also a very important part of our day. Until later, play hard. . . we will!
Written by the newest kid on the block,
Tanya Kurzbock
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Manas warming his feet in the newly
heated pool. |
The cooler months are now upon us and for many animals. This means a change in their usual activity as some animals, especially reptiles, are starting to slow down. This is a good time of the year for our tigers because the weather is cooler which in turn keeps them cool throughout the day.
Unable to sweat, the tigers heat up quickly during the summer months but the pool allows them to cool off. Now that we are in winter it almost seems a waste to have an awesome pool, designed especially for the tigers, not being used. To battle this, we recently installed heaters to boost the water temperature up from 18 degrees to about 28 degrees.
This added luxury has increased the tigers activity and they absolutely love jumping into the pool after the handlers. We have a heap of fun playing with the tigers in the pool and it is great that we can use the pool all year round.
Visitors to the zoo can now experience the power of our tigers as they interact with the handlers in their newly heated pool, and with underwater viewing, the excitement is endless.
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Tanya and Echo share a special moment.
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| Cleo outclimbs her sister. |
A few articles ago I introduced myself as the newest human on the block. Well, I’ve been here for over a month already, and I’m starting to feel settled into my new job. My relationships with the cheetah are steadily strengthening, and I am participating in training and walks now.
The most complex cheetah by far is Echo. He is very serious and doesn’t show his soft side easily. But I am getting on really well with him, and can even give him a cuddle if he’s in the right mood! I am still a way off doing any training with him however. I’ll leave that to the more experienced trainers for now!
The two girls are now nine months old, and their personalities are really developing. Sheeba often sits away from the group and is quite independent. She climbs trees and likes to stay up there! She also likes to stir the boys up and gets cranky when they put her in her place a bit roughly!
Cleo is quirky and shows affection readily towards her keepers. She loves her walks and is usually quite energetic. She is very competitive with her sister, and tries to take over the toys and climb higher than Sheeba!
We are having so much fun watching our cheetahs grow and learn! On behalf of the cheetah team,
Bye!
Tanya
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Juma stalking kids
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| Juma and Singa stalking kids |
School holidays are upon us yet again and there is an influx of children visiting the Zoo. Everyone loves school holidays, except maybe the parents, and no one loves them more than our tigers.
If you have ever seen tiger documentaries on the television, then you may have seen the way in which they hunt. Tigers are generally a solitary animal in the wild and when it comes to hunting, they usually pick off the young and the weak.
You can only imagine how good a small child would look to a tiger if they were surrounded by adults. The Tiger Temple has been enjoyed by many visitors to the Zoo and the glass viewing allows people to get close to the tigers. If there are small children out the front of the tiger exhibit and seem interesting to the tigers, then you can almost guarantee some stalking behaviour.
Allowing the tigers to stalk visitors is great enrichment because it gives them a chance to exercise some natural instincts and it keeps them entertained. All of the handler are kept amused as we watch people's reactions as the tigers jump onto the window. So the next time your at the Zoo, spend some time watching the tigers get up to a bit of mischief as they stalk unsuspecting guests.
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Bone chip removed
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| Foxy under anaesthetic |
On June 6, Foxtrot was walked over to our wildlife hospital for his operation. We had called in a specialist to help Dr. Jon Hanger and the zoo’s wildlife vets to perform surgery. During prior routine visits to the wildlife hospital, we decided to x-ray Foxy’s front legs. We had noticed on a number of occasions that Foxy seemed to be holding his left paw up in discomfort. Once the x-rays were performed, it was discovered that Foxy had a small bone chip in his left wrist. Because the bone chip was unattached in his wrist, as it moved around it was causing pain. Between this time and the operation, we walked Foxy over to the wildlife hospital at least once a week to familiarise him with the area. From day one, Foxy seemed to enjoy venturing into the hospital. There was always lots of activity, with koalas and birds being the main patients.
When the day arrived for the operation, Foxy was walked over to the hospital with much excitement as usual. Once Foxy relaxed on the operating table he was put under anaesthetic. It was very fast acting and within a few seconds he was sound asleep. He was hooked up to all the appropriate equipment for monitoring from temperature to oxygenation levels. Then they started to shave his wrist. It was sad to see this luscious thick winter coat coming straight off. Unbelievably, once his left leg was shaved we could still see spots. The spots are not only on the fur, but on the skin as well.
Then the surgery started. Luckily for Foxy it was only keyhole surgery to prevent increased healing time and scarring. The joint was filled with fluid to allow for the camera to be easily manoeuvred inside. The specialist was able to see on the TV screen exactly where the bone chip was. After about an hour the bone chip was removed and Foxy was stitched up. The stitches were sewn amazingly well. There is believed to be no scarring at all once the wound has healed. The bone chip was about one quarter the size of a 5 cent piece.
At 12:30pm, Foxy was brought back to the off display enclosure. Once he started to wake up he greeted us with a very euphoric purr. We all stayed with Foxy for the afternoon to help him. As the anaesthetic wore off he was keener to walk. Even though he was very disorientated and unstable we could notice an improvement in the use of his leg immediately.
At around 5:00pm Foxy was just about back to normal and ready to eat. Foxy usually shares his den with his brother Echo, but because Echo plays very rough and we didn’t want Foxy to spend the night alone with Echo unsupervised. So Foxy spent the night with the two girls Cleo and Sheeba.
The next day we spent the entire day with Foxy as he hung out with Cleo. We didn’t want to have all 4 cheetahs in the one enclosure, in case they enticed Foxy to run on his sore leg too soon. Instead we separated them in 2 enclosures. Cleo was a bit puzzled by the pale coloured shaved leg and took every chance she could to bite it. Once she got used to it, she was quite happy to help Foxy groom it. Over the next week or so we will be monitoring Foxy’s progress and we’ll be sure to keep you updated. Unfortunately, the hair on his leg may not fully grow back for another 3 months, until then Foxy will be strutting around showing off his designer haircut.
Until next time… Cheetahs rule!