Week 205 (27th July – 2nd August 2007)
The neighbouring dining room:
To get Cathay used to the cage environment, this week Cathay was still fed in her front cage in the breeding centre.
On Saturday afternoon, each tiger got a springbok carcass. 327 pulled his springbok carcass onto his table and began to eat immediately. Cathay didn’t drag the carcass out of the cage as last time, but began to eat inside the cage. However, the next morning it was discovered that Cathay’s springbok carcass was still in the outside cage of the breeding centre. Only one hind leg had been eaten. When the carcass was moved into the 4 ha camp, 327 seemed very unhappy and roared and moaned continuously. Cathay immediately appeared and started eating. It is assumed that 327 might have intimidated Cathay and hence she did not eat as much as she would normally. After 327 was released into the quarantine camp, he immediately went to the gate of the 4 ha camp and watched Cathay eating. He again moaned continuously. What a greedy 327!
On Tuesday afternoon the tigers got a wildebeest as their feast. TigerWoods and Madonna got the wildebeest carcass without 2 hind legs in the 0.5 ha camp. 327 and Cathay each got a wildebeest back leg in the outdoor cages of the breeding centre. 327 dragged the leg on to his dining table and began to eat immediately as before. Cathay ran into the quarantine camp and first ran around 327’s cage. Then she settled down a little bit and went into her cage to eat. While eating she kept an eye on 327 who was eating on his table. While eating 327 continued to focus on Cathay, as if worrying that she would steal his food.
After eating her leg for a while, Cathay went to the gate of her indoor cage and explored it for a while. Then she dragged the leg to the entrance of her cage. She hesitated for a while before she went into the quarantine camp without the leg. Again she ran excitedly in front of 327’s outdoor cage, trying to catch his attention. 327 did watch her from his outdoor cage for a while, but then he lost interest and went back to eat. Cathay went back to the entrance to her cage and dragged the leg out. 327 ate so quickly that he finished the whole leg in one night. The next morning Cathay had gone back to the 4 ha camp, leaving her half-eaten wildebeest leg near the gate of the 4 ha camp in the quarantine camp. It was put into the 4 ha camp and the gate of the 4 ha camp was closed and the sliding gate between the breeding centre and the quarantine camp was opened. 327 went into the quarantine camp immediately and began to smell around.