Dr. Chloe Wilde is our wildlife biologist. She studied ecology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Her favorite topic of study is conservation. Dr. Wilde is passionate about learning about and teaching others about how they can help wild cat populations, including reducing their use of products with palm oil in them. Though Carolina Tiger Rescue does not have any, Dr. Wilde’s favorite animal to study is the clouded leopard.
Dr. Wilde’s Blog 10/7/2021
Fall is finally here and that means it’s pumpkin season at the sanctuary! This time of year, we receive many pumpkin donations and give them out to the animals as enrichment. Keepers can carve them and hide treats inside, add scents like perfume or cologne to the pumpkins, and even paint them to provide unique enrichment to the animals. The cats will paw and claw at the pumpkins, roll them around their enclosure, rub on them and even carry them around their enclosures in their mouths. Pumpkins are a great form of enrichment for the animals that call Carolina Tiger Rescue home.
Animals greatly benefit from enrichment, as it provides physically and mentally stimulating activities and encourages them to engage in natural behaviors. Here at Carolina Tiger Rescue, we participate in a wide variety of enrichment including painted boxes, boomer balls, scents, pools and much more. Seasonal enrichment includes things like themed boxes, pumpkins, and Christmas trees and can be very stimulating to the cats as it is not something that they receive all year long. Keeping animals mentally and physically engaged through enrichment is vitally important to the health and well-being of that animal.