Week 238 (14 - 20 March 2008)

Getting prepared

Since the beginning of this week, Madonna began her training in the new maternity camp. TigerWoods and her were called towards the 4 ha camp using the predator whistle. The maternity camp used to be part of the 4 ha camp and a new fence and gate has been built to create this smaller camp. TigerWoods and Madonna had never seen it because they were in the 40 ha camp during the construction of the camp. TigerWoods was the first to jump through the new gate, while Madonna continued pacing in front of the gate till late afternoon. Finally she was lured in using a springbok leg. Both of them drank a lot of water from the new water trough. Just like the quarantine camp, a new pole shelter has been built and a breeding box has been placed inside the camp as well. The next day, TigerWoods and Madonna were fed 2 wildebeest legs under the pole shelter. Madonna came inside very carefully and came out immediately with one leg in her mouth. But the leg was heavy, so she lost it on her way out. She had to come back again. It took her several times to thoroughly get the leg out of the pole shelter. She began to feed on the leg in the grass.

For the entire week, TigerWoods and Madonna were able to easily come in and out of the new maternity camp. However, unlike TigerWoods who would spend a lot of time in the new camp, Madonna seemed to prefer staying in the 4 ha camp the most of the time.

In preparation for giving birth, Cathay needed to be dewormed. Fifteen deworming tablets were put inside fifteen separate, small pieces of meat. They were given to Cathay one by one in the middle cage of the breeding centre. When Cathay first came into the middle cage for the first piece, she was a bit stressed, but she quickly became better and finished all the meat and tablets.

Two new breeding boxes were put in the outdoor cages on Wednesday. Cathay initially seemed afraid of it. She hesitated for a while at the sliding gate and drank some water at the corner of the water trough. Finally she got enough courage to go out and began to smell the breeding box. She didn’t enter it at all. After a while she turned her attention to Madonna. As for 327, the breeding box was no threat at all. He walked into the box immediately after smelling it. He paced in and out without any problems and scent marked it a lot. Then he was closed in the indoor cage and Cathay was allowed to enter his outdoor cage. Cathay put her head in the breeding box which had been scent marked by 327 before and smelt it carefully but still she did not enter. Several chunks of wildebeest meat was put in her breeding box. Cathay cautiously went close the box. She lowered her body and slowly went to the box, putting her front paws into the box and picked up the meat. Then she dragged the meat to the quarantine camp and ate there on the grass. She remained this cautious the entire time and did not eat inside the outdoor cage once.

Two more breeding boxes were put in the indoor cages. The preparation work for the tigers giving birth was now almost complete, except 327 needed to be moved to the new small camp which has been built in the 9 ha camp. The first attempt was made on Thursday afternoon. However 327 refused to enter his transport cage and also refused the other alternative by walking through the gate in to the new camp. By now it was already dark, so his transfer to the new camp will have to wait another day.