Special tree provides new challenges for Kulinda the cheetah
A custom-designed tree structure is providing Werribee Open Range Zoo’s resident cheetah with new challenges just in time for today’s International Cheetah Day [Dec 4].
The ‘Cheetah Enrichment Tree’ is constructed to encourage the big cat’s natural wild behaviours, by providing problem solving opportunities to sharpen her physical and cognitive skills.
The tree was made using a repurposed two-metre-tall tree trunk, and is fitted with small rings that allow keepers to attach a variety of items at various heights – from meaty meals, to interesting scents, and engaging objects.
Werribee Open Range Zoo African River Trail keeper Nicola McCleery, who developed the concept for the Cheetah Enrichment Tree, said it is providing a variety of benefits for the Zoo’s eight-year-old cheetah.
“We’re seeing a lot of natural behaviours from Kulinda, including play, exploratory and hunting behaviour,” Ms McCleery said.
“By attaching some of her larger pieces of meat to a bungee, it encourages her to physically work for her food. She is using muscles that she wouldn’t otherwise be activating during her usual meal time.”
The ‘Cheetah Enrichment Tree’ is constructed to encourage the big cat’s natural wild behaviours, by providing problem solving opportunities to sharpen her physical and cognitive skills.
The trunk of the enrichment tree is now a permanent feature inside the Zoo’s cheetah exhibit and is equipped for cheetah interaction up to three times a week. Ms McCleery said the enrichment tree is just one of the many methods keepers use to provide the best standards of husbandry and welfare for the clever feline.
“We also run a cheetah lure, a motorised device that whips a piece of meat around her exhibit at high speed to encourage her predatory instincts,” Ms McCleery said.
Cheetahs are native to Africa and Iran and are classified as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Their numbers are in decline, with an estimated 6000-7000 remaining in the wild - largely a result of habitat destruction and conflict with livestock and game farmers.
International Cheetah Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the world's fasted land animal – which can go from zero to 60 miles an hour in only three seconds – and aims to raise awareness about their threat of extinction.
Werribee Open Range Zoo re-opened to visitors on 29 October under the latest changing of coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions by the Victorian Government. Daily visitor numbers are capped and all tickets must be pre-purchased online. For more information, visit www.zoo.org.au.