Caracals get new cage designed to limit
over grooming thanks to California donor
Cachinga and Cachanga are Caracals that were brought in from a miserable little zoo in Africa in 1995 in the early days of the sanctuary with the intention of breeding them for conservation. But there are no programs in the field or plans to have any to release Caracals back to the wild. Since we do not believe that any animal should be bred for life in a cage, they have been neutered. They have a wonderful bond and like to live together.
The problem is that Cachanga loves Cachinga too much and grooms her bald, so they often have to be separated periodically so that Cachinga does not get sores from the over-grooming. The large cage we keep them in together is not designed so that it can be split in two sections, and even if it were, the two sections would be too small. So, to separate them but have them still be where they can see each other, they have to be trapped and moved to a cage that was designed with a door that can divide it. However, it is not a large enough cage. It was designed for one cat, and only has the door that divides it in halves so that we could contain the cat on one side if we had to work on the other side. Moving them by trapping them each time is stressful for them and takes considerable staff time, so they end up spending a lot of time apart and in half of the space they ought to have.
The solution is to take two cages that are each large enough for one cat and are next to each other and join them with a cage tunnel. The tunnel will have vertical doors at each end. This would enable us to easily separate and reunite them by opening and closing a door, but give each of them plenty of room when they are separated. With this structure in place we could separate them before the grooming has too much effect, let Cashinga's fur grow back, then reunite them for periods of time. It would allow them to spend much more time together and yet have suitable space when they are separated.
In addition to the tunnel there is other significant refitting needed to the two cages. The feeding area, called the “lockout”, has to be rebuilt for a smaller cat, vegetation that caracals require in order to be able to hide and feel safe must be planted, and the two older cages need to be completely repainted with expensive Rustoleum paint. This project has been on the wish list for some time but funds were not available. Recently when supporter Patricia Webber called and asked if there was something she could do for a specific cat, we suggested this project. Patricia took pity on Cachinga and has generously donated $1500 for the project, which will start in a few weeks. If you look closely at the photo, you may be able to see Cachanga just behind Cachinga's right ear. Thanks very much Patricia! Your donation will have a very immediate impact on improving the lives of these two wonderful cats.
To see a list of our donors to Big Cat Rescue, click on the links below:
