September 6, 2017 by Sophie
Mignon
Suspended from a large butcher's
hook, a prime piece of raw steak glides and then zigzags through the air in a
big arena under the watchful eye of Dumi, the lioness.
With her hunter's instinct taking
over, the big cat runs down her "prey" across the rocks and ponds of
an artificial savannah at a lion sanctuary north of Amsterdam, then hooks her
claws into her quarry after a spectacular leap.
Perhaps one day, thanks to this
unique hunting simulator manipulated by a joystick, former circus performer
Dumi will be able to hunt on African plains.
"It's a system which is
meant to train the animals and
not only give them back a little of their instinct, but also improve their
motor control, their muscles, strength and reactions," said Daphne Pels, a
keeper at the Stichting Leeuw (Lion Foundation) refuge.
There are 35 wild cats at the
sanctuary in the small town of Anna Paulowna, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) north
of Amsterdam.
Most have been born in captivity,
and the foundation aims to get the big felines—lions, tigers, cougars and
leopards—back into peak condition to improve their lives and ultimately, even
to hunt in the wild.
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