Week 276 (5th Dec - 11th Dec 2008)
Another week in paradise
This week the tigers had to contend with daytime temperatures of 40 degrees centigrade and a total lack of rain. We had many promises of rain but although the clouds built up every evening - no rain to speak of fell resulting in listless animals that had neither the energy nor inclination do much else other than sleep during the afternoons but at least in the early morning they had a little more life.
Early in the week Cathay and TigerWoods successfully hunted a blesbuck and spent the following day digesting their meal, thereafter their attempts, if any, have failed and they have both taken to traipsing over to the gate and asking for food at every possible opportunity; following the vehicle around trying to convey to us how hungry they were. By the end of the week they still had not caught anything and we were really beginning to feel sorry for them.
327 spent practically every waking moment swimming in his little stream, every afternoon we found him covered in mud and he was making no effort to clean. Hulooo, JenB and Coco also took turns swimming in their water trough and we had our work cut out for us in trying to keep it full.
Madonna’s cubs are becoming ever increasingly braver, King Henry more so than his sister and we occasionally have the honour of seeing them play, either with each other or with their mother. Madonna enjoys pacing with 327 and the cubs also tag along but at their own pace, occasionally she stopped to sniff the air and swish her tail at the cubs. They follow Madonna dutifully for the most part but stop to chuff at uncle 327 and play “catch mummy’s tail” whenever it was stationary for long enough. King Henry was playing with a wildebeest tail, flinging it into the air and watching it land at his feet, every time it landed he stood up on his hind legs and waved his front feet in the air with toes splayed, this not being enough to subdue the tail he pounced with great determination and catching it in his teeth rolled butt over head and threw it back into the air. Topaz managed to gather enough courage together to join her brother in the helter-skelter. Madonna watched from afar with a smile playing on her lips.
Midway through the week it was breeding centre cleaning time again and Hulooo stole the squeegee from between the floor and the mesh. He carried it by the rubber section with the long handle waving around in front of him and his brothers had to duck and dive to avoid being clobbered. Lying down for some dedicated chewing he was interrupted by his brothers who also wanted to join in the fun but there was no way that Hulooo was going to part with his toy and he swatted at them like humans swat at flies. After some time he brought it to show his humans (like he brings everything else) and we beguiled him into letting one go with the possibility of getting another. Having retrieved our tools we could continue.