March 28
– Christian, Kizmet,
and Max were reunited today. The three
tigers, along with Marcus tiger, all knew each other from their cub days. Max
had been separated from the others at Wild Animal Orphanage and then Marcus
died on January 19 due to an ulcerated tumor in his mouth. We decided to give Kizmet
and Christian some time to adjust before introducing Max back into the group.
Group dynamics can change when you lose or introduce a new member, but all the
signs were positive (lots of chuffing to each other and time visiting together
at the fence). All three tigers were at the shift gate chuffing when we opened
the gate that separated them. They continued to chuffle briefly y at each
other, then switched sides. There was barely any interaction! They were more
excited to see what was on the other side of the gate than to greet the new
addition. Now, they all hang out in the same denbox and play together. They may
still need time to determine the hierarchy, but they are getting along together
well.
China=Christian, Kashmir=Max, Swathe=Marcus, and Kizmet is still Kizmet
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