Animal trainers

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(12-21-2018, 07:19 AM)Kathlee111 Wrote: I will try to answer all your questions the best I can, it may take me awhile as I have limited time online right now. I will start with my background and then talk about the individual cats. This is my standard background info that I copy/ pasted here,  but I will go into a little more detail and say my mentors were Ron Whitfield and Wayne Ragen..Wayne Ragen, who both had alot of experience in mixed acts. Whitfield trained all kinds of animals but Wayne was my primary teacher/ mentor. 

I worked in a traveling educational lion/tiger program and  I also lived with my cats on a ranch in the off season. We were a very small outfit with five tigers and seven lions. Working with Big Cats was the fufillment of my childhood dream, and I was very lucky to have great mentors; without their tutelage, I'm sure I wouldn't have survived. It took serious work and focused study to get next to these animals. I was a volunteer, then an apprentice, for many years. I had seen a lion / tiger show as a kid and knew I would have to work with these animals or die trying.  It was years before I got a break, but I was ready. 

As wonderful as every day was, it was terrifying at times. It was also hard work , around the clock. You have no personal life!
 Wild animals cannot be tamed. They can be trained, through positive reinforcement and over time, to do simple behaviors on cue. We mainly worked behaviors the cats would do naturally- sit, stay,  lie down. It helped when doing health checks, and for our own interaction with the cats. They liked the attention and the stimulation was good for them. But, big cats are unpredictable, and at any time can go off script.  Attacks can be life threatening, and injuries were common. I never trusted them, even though I raised them from tiny cubs. They tolerated me , bonded with me, and expected me to stay out of their space when they tired of me. They could go from affection to aggression in an instant.

I loved and treasured our cats, and we treated them like royalty. Our lives revolved around their needs. The ranch had an enormous lake for the tigers to swim and a grassy island in the center for them to play. All the tigers had their own separate pools in their enclosures as well. We walked the cats regularly in the desert, and we interacted with them daily in their very large enclosures. They were fed the very best diet and supplements, plus an abundance of treats. They had a great vet, who made regular check -up visits,  but we never medicated them or surgically altered them. (One of our female tigers was an exception; she had an oviohysterectomy at UCDavis to relieve her from bad heat cycles.) They were healthy and happy. Ultimately, our lions and tigers were respected for the wild animals that they were. We expected them to act like lions and tigers. We kept them safe from outside disturbances.  We did not allow anyone who was not an invited guest or friend to the ranch to see them, either. It was not a public attraction.

We knew the risks,  and we knew the kind of injuries the cats were capable of inflicting. I'd be lying if I said there were not moments when I was scared shitless, wondering why I didn't just get a normal life. But I loved every minute with my animals, and never had a serious injury. I had some scary encounters, but I knew when to get away and sometimes, I just got lucky.
I owe my life to my mentors, our exceptionally smart tigers, and a lot of good luck. I can take credit for not showing how scared I was sometimes,  and for not doing anything totally stupid. There were times I did screw up,  and I always paid the price. My tigers mainly and my lion were not forgiving of my mistakes. Their lessons were painful. Chaos will happen,  despite my being well- prepared and well- informed. I had studied behavior for years before actually working hands -on with live cats, yet I knew-  you have to be ready for anything.

My experience with the cats was what I had always wanted in my life.  It was an inflexible goal, and I am incredibly lucky and proud I got to achieve it. I miss my cats every day,  and I see them frequently in my dreams at night. They were beautiful. Life with them was everything I had hoped it would be.and more, and for that I will always be grateful.

Heh, just to have some humor here too, I have to ask, that did you sometimes learned new skills while being there with animals? Like you can see this one trainer on this video at 0:33. I bet, that he didn´t know earlier how good climber he is It´s all about motivating, also people can be trained to new skills in world record times, when trainers are convincing enough..... :) 

For sure not a funny moment at the time it happened, but maybe today this guy already can smile too at least a little bit.... But as you said, everything can change in a moment to total chaos. Reply

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