Week 228 (4 - 10 January 2008)

Changing camps, jealous Cathay

To accommodate future cubs and also serve as a maternity camp, a new smaller camp needs to be built inside the current 9 ha camp. At the beginning of this week the tigers were moved from their original camps. Madonna was moved from the 4 ha camp to the quarantine camp while TigerWoods and Cathay were moved from the 9 ha camp to the 4 ha camp so that the work in the 9 ha camp could be done. It was an ideal opportunity to start training Madonna to get used to the breeding centre. Everyday Madonna was fed inside the cages of the breeding centre. When TigerWoods and Cathay needed to be fed, Madonna would be closed in the breeding centre temporarily while TigerWoods and Cathay were introduced into the quarantine camp while their food was placed in the 4 ha camp. 327 was kept in the breeding centre for most of the time. He was only released into the quarantine camp with Madonna while the cages were being cleaned. He seemed quite satisfied to stay inside the cages and did not communicate with Madonna all that much.

On the other hand, Cathay’s attitude to Madonna became much more aggressive since TigerWoods mounted her last week. On Monday afternoon all the tigers were fed. Madonna was fed a blesbok back leg in the breeding centre. She was closed inside when she began to eat and did not seemed to mind at all, concentrating on eating. She finished the leg in a few minutes. 327 was fed a blesbok carcass without 4 legs in the breeding centre. He began to eat immediately. Cathay and TigerWoods were introduced into the quarantine camp while a springbok carcass without 2 hind legs was put in the 4 ha camp for them. Once they had entered the quarantine camp, TigerWoods scent marked a lot while Cathay turned her attention immediately to Madonna. She began to pace along the cage and tried to hit her through the bars, just as TigerWoods did to 327 before. After the gate of the 4 ha camp was opened, TigerWoods went back to the 4 ha camp and began to eat the springbok carcass immediately. However Cathay still kept pacing along the cages trying to fight with Madonna. She even put her front paw through the small space near the floor to try and scratch Madonna. She managed to grab the leg bone out but paid no attention to it at all. Madonna’s attention was focused on TigerWoods who was eating the carcass in the 4 ha camp. She salivated a lot. Finally, after Madonna was closed in the indoor cages Cathay decided to go back after pacing for a few more minutes.