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Terra Natura Benidorm has devised a project to improve the daily routine of the Bengal tigers in their care.
  
The pride of four Tigers that reside in the park will benefit from this incentive, which should prevent any compulsive behavioral patterns from developing, due to boredom.tigers3

A model of a Sambar deer made from biodegradable materials such as wood, antelope horns and yak hair has been introduced into the enclosure for the tigers to play with at feeding time.   Fresh meat is placed inside the model and the tiger’s natural hunting instinct comes into play. 

Julián Santos & Guzman Melendo, are both vets at the park.  They came up with the idea that by making these big cats work to obtain their food, they would be helping them to retain their hunting instincts.

Once the project was put into operation, staff detected that females in the pride showed clear hunting behavior, lurking in the undergrowth as if about to attack the dummy prey. 

The male tiger, as head of the pride, showed the most interest and attacked the model devouring the meat inside. 

During the project, the tigers have been more active, especially the male, who changed his daily routine for more than  45 minutes. 

Kali, the last tiger introduced to the pride, was born in Terra Natura in captivity and she has also benefited from the model, playing with the models ”remains” for hours.
 
Staff are pleased with the results and the vets plan to repeat the project using a Gibbon,   deer or dhole (Cuon alpinus), an Asiatic wild dog , and then observe their reaction.  It is important not to make these activities routine, the element of surprise is important for them to react effectively.

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