Carolina Tiger Rescue is a 501(c)3 nonprofit wildlife sanctuary whose mission is saving and protecting wild cats in captivity and in the wild.
As students across the country head back to school, some of the tigers who call Carolina Tiger Rescue are also learning new things through Operant Conditioning!
Roscoe Tiger with Keeper LA
Operant Conditioning is positive reinforcement that is used to help shape behavior in animals. With animals like Roscoe Tiger who has some anxiety, it allows him to, in a calm environment, learn new behaviors to help ease his stress. Check out this awesome video of LA explaining Operant Conditioning with Roscoe.
Moki Tiger with Volunteer Coordinator Maryssa
Volunteer Coordinator Maryssa works with Mona and Moki Tigers. With enough work, we can use Operant Conditioning to do minor health checks on the tigers. We can do visual exams and some tigers are working toward taking voluntary injections.
Rajah Tiger and Education Director Katie
Education Director Katie helps enrich Rajah Tiger with operant training. In the wild, tigers will patrol miles and miles of territory, hunt for food, and female tigers will raise their babies. In captivity, our tigers need enrichment to keep them physically and mentally stimulated and healthy. Operant training is a great way for the tiger to get up and moving and to think about what they are being asked to do. All of our tigers always have a choice to participate and the treats they receive are in addition to their meals not a replacement for them.
