Dutch give big cats hunting lessons in return to the wild
Suspended from a 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 savannah, 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.
“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 refuge.
There are 35 wild cats at the sanctuary in the small town of Anna Paulowna, 80 km north of Amsterdam.
Most have been born in captivity, and the foundation aims to get the lions, tigers, cougars and leopards back into peak condition to improve their lives and ultimately, even hunt in the wild.
The cats were mostly rescued from inexperienced and sometimes malicious private owners.
Many are survivors of circuses that used wild animal acts -- now partially or totally banned in most EU countries.
“These are animals that depend on humans a lot because they were bottle-fed, born in the circus and declawed (by their owners),” said Pels. “We can’t just put them back in the wild.” AFP