Feline update....

You may have noticed that I haven't been posting much for the last few weeks. Part of that has to do with the fact that I have been traveling to the zoo three times each week to observe "my kittens". It's hard to believe but I've reached the halfway point of this project. I have completed all the sessions for the "baseline" portion of this experiment; that is, before the cats are moved to their permanent enclosures. The move happened at the end of last week and the "Grassland Cats" exhibit featuring the servals and caracals opened to the public yesterday.

We were there bright and early to see the cats; I was worried that they would be totally stressed from the move and/or be hiding away from view. Fortunately, both pairs were out and about exploring their new homes. :) Pictures below are the two caracals then the two servals - thanks to Tim for taking such excellent snaps.

Part of the exhibit highlights the fact that both species of felines are incredibly jumpers; in the wild they creep through tall grasses when hunting prey. Their meals usually comprise small rodents and birds. They simply jump, sometimes straight up, several meters and snatch birds out of the air. To simulate this the zoo installed a "tall grass thicket" in which you stand inside, listen for your prey and then pounce! Below you can see me peaking out. :)

This next week I'll begin my "post move" observations and they will run for four weeks to match the number of baseline observations I conducted. In addition, I've been invited to attend a meeting with the Zoo's Animal Welfare Committee and they've asked me to give a brief presentation/update regarding my project. I'm excited to share what I'm doing with the group and feel very "official" being an agenda item. :)