About Us:
Research
Research is ongoing at the Foundation. All of our research programs are non-invasive. No animal is harmed in any way. The goal of our research is to expand the global knowledge base, particularly as it applies to endangered species.
Nutrition research is ongoing here at the Foundation. A big key to maintaining an exotic animal’s health in captivity is recognizing what provides the best nutrition for that species. It is not enough to know whether an animal is a carnivore, herbivore or omnivore. For example, you cannot feed a tiger just meat and expect it to do well. A carnivore receives critical nutrients from its prey in the wild through eating its digestive organs and the material therein, nutrients that it will not get on a diet solely of store-bought chicken and beef. Different species will react differently to different foods and nutritional supplements. Tragically, birth defects caused by nutritional deficiencies in captive exotics are becoming more common. Overcoming this is one of the goals of our research. Our research targets not only healthy animals but those with birth defects and overcoming some of their problems through proper nutrition.
Research into alternative medical treatments is also ongoing and is closely related to our research into animal nutrition. Medical care of exotics is still a relatively fledgling science. Our goal is to develop alternative, non-invasive cures for a variety of ailments that affect wildlife. For example, one of our tigers was suffering from anxiety, and began to lose hair and was chewing on her tail. Through a mixture of grape tea and feeding her grape leaves and vines (which she eagerly consumed!), she overcame her anxiety and the symptoms disappeared.
Animal behavior is researched in several aspects. This research is critical to producing effective animal handling techniques, and we share these with those that come for training at the foundation. We also do more specific behavioral research projects. For example, we are working on getting a male clouded leopard to live with our two females so that we can continue to develop a “breeding collar” which will allow them to be bred safely in captivity, something that is currently a problem for this critically endangered species as the male will sometimes accidentally kill the female during the process.
The results of our research are distributed through on-site training, on and off-site educational programs and consultation with other wildlife facilities. We are also working on the publication of two books focusing on the care and handling of exotic species.
