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An Inquiry into the Nature of Communication Between Humans and Exotic Cats
METHODS |
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Table of Contents |
The experiment took place over the
course of six weeks at two sanctuaries located in the continental United
States. Decision criterion for visiting a sanctuary involved several
factors: High interaction potential between humans and exotics, a suitable
array of exotic species (tigers and lions particularly), expressed
dedication to educational purposes, time/ability to entertain the
question, and a strong focus on the welfare of the resident exotics above
commercial or humanistic gains. Unfortunately, few sanctuaries qualified
for the study. Of those that did, only two sanctuaries had adequate time
to participate. Those sanctuaries were Tiger Touch of Fallon, Nevada, and
Thunderhawk Big Cat Rescue of Cocoa, Florida.
Arrangements were made to spend at least seven hours at each site per day to allow for adequate interaction and observation. This time also gave the opportunity to observe or participate in activities of daily care for the cats. The study objective was to discover the nature of interactions as bulleted below. Each criterion was further analyzed based on the personality and history of each exotic:
Results were recorded daily in word form and through photography where opportunity presented itself. Informal and formal interviews conducted with caretakers and staff were used to provide perspective on individual cases but were considered independent of the observations made daily. |
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