Foundation helps big cats to retrieve killer instincts

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Suspended from a large butcher's hook, a prime piece of raw steak glides and then zigzags through the air in a big arena under the watchful eye of Dumi, the lioness.

With her hunter's instinct taking over, the big cat runs down her "prey" across the rocks and ponds of an artificial savanna at a lion sanctuary north of Amsterdam and then hooks her claws into her quarry after a spectacular leap.

Perhaps one day, thanks to this unique hunting simulator manipulated by a joystick, former circus performer Dumi will be able to hunt on African plains.

The big cats train in an artificial savanna and are challenged according to their physical condition, while some have become lazy in captivity. /AFP Photo

"It's a system which is meant to train the animals and not only give them back a little of their instinct, but also improve their motor control, their muscles, strength and reactions," said Daphne Pels, a keeper at the Stichting Leeuw (Lion Foundation) refuge.

There are 35 wild cats at the sanctuary in the small town of Anna Paulowna, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Amsterdam.

Most have been born in captivity, and the foundation aims to get the big felines including lions, tigers, cougars and leopards, back into peak condition to improve their lives and ultimately, even to hunt in the wild.

Dependent on humans

The cats were mostly rescued from inexperienced and sometimes malicious private owners.

Some are survivors of circuses that used wild animal acts that partially or totally banned in some EU countries nowadays, and find it too expensive to feed the rapacious carnivores that can devour up to six kilograms (13 pounds) of meat a day.

Like Omar. Used as a cub by a circus to attract tourists who could hug the baby lion for selfies, Omar was eventually sold to a Slovakian mafia boss, who kept him in his garden as a pet.

Established in 2011 by a passionate businessman, the Stichting Leeuw (Lion Foundation) refuge in The Netherlands is looking after 35 wild cats. /AFP Photo

When the foundation rescued Omar in March 2015, the male lion suffered from advanced malnutrition and was basically just skin and bones, with no muscle, and covered in sores and feces.

It took Omar two years to recover. He now sports a large fawn-colored mane, but he bears a scar on his muzzle and his small, amber eyes remain vigilant and mistrustful.

"These are animals that depend on humans a lot because they were bottle-fed, born in the circus and declawed" by their tamers or owners, said Pels.

"We can't just put them back in the wild," she told AFP.

Chasing prey

Now Sarabi, the lioness, and Ambra and Laxmi, two tigresses, regularly train in a "playground" of roughly 80 meters by 50 meters (262 feet by 164 feet), which took three years to build.

Prey can vary. Sometimes it's a toy, sometimes a piece of meat and even, when there's no audience, a dead rabbit or pigeon to help rekindle their hunting instincts.

The cats' target is suspended a few feet up in the air and moved around in a random fashion by keepers using the joystick in a small control room. The aim is to push the cats, which have sometimes become lazy in captivity, to chase their prey.

The artificial savanna is dotted with obstacles such as rocks, pools and tree trunks for animals to learn watch and run at the same time. /AFP Photo

The small, artificial savanna is dotted with obstacles such as rocks, pools and tree trunks "so the animals have to learn how to watch and run at the same time," Pels said.

"The first few times we see them maybe bump their noses or accidentally fall into the water," she said laughing.

Training is adapted to each individual depending on its physical condition, age and needs.

"We are able to give the animals some training (too), but it's natural training. They don't have to jump through a hoop."

Back to Africa

Established in 2011 by a passionate businessman and financed through private donations, the foundation hopes to relocate Omar back to Africa this year "to give him a family."

Relocation costs 25,000 euros (about 29,700 US dollars).

Now aged five, Omar will join five other lions already living at the Emoya sanctuary in the Bahati wildlife estate in northern South Africa. Two Bengal tigers are also expected to join the Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand (WFFT).

Once in their new homes, the felines have to learn to adapt. Those too dependent on humans will live in a small area of savanna, which sized about one to two acres.

Others move on to the next stage, living in an enclosure of 50 to 100 hectares learning to hunt for real.

A puma, as well as lions, tigers, cougars and leopards, are among the big felines at the foundation and most were born in captivity. /AFP Photo

But it's a long-term project.

"We have to start with small prey and have to observe whether they will develop skills" to be able to feed themselves before introducing larger animals, Pels said.

"For now the most important thing is to bring the animals to Emoya to upgrade their lives and free up space for new animals that need help," Pels added.

This includes elephants, which the foundation hopes to take in in the future.

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Source(s): AFP