Escapes by Digging
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 09:58:17 -0800 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Escapes
I have had large cats since 1986 and I have natural floors without concrete of footings of concrete around the cage. I do have 2x10 wood that lag bolts into the uprights of the building and help to hold the chain link to the cage and on the inside I have bolted an addition 2 x6 and used large washers to sandwich the chain link so that the cats would not pull at it from the inside. My cages all have roofs over them so I don't know about the other aspect other than from knowing somebody else. These people had a full grown leopard and a full grown cougar in an area that is about 2 acres and the fence was 11 gauge and believe it or not 6 feet high. They both would go to work everyday and so these animals were left in this area while they were gone and they were USDA licensed. Their inspector made them increase it to 8 feet high after 3 or 4 years of a 6 foot high fence. I went to visit them once and it scared the crap out of me when I was looking face to face with the leopard and she hissed at me and I looked up to see how high the fence was and it was just barely over the top of my head. Yikes! But in these peoples defense the cats never got out and they also had a natural floor and never tryed to dig out.
One thing that fish and game officer here came up with was "What if you not home or in the house and some stray dogs or other wild animals get into your yard and see some meat that the cats are eating and decide they want it and try to dig in to get it." I told him that they would only do it once. His point was that if a wild animal dug a hole then the cat might see the hole and become interested in getting to the other side of the hole. This was his arguement when he told me I would have to put cement on my floors. That was about 4 years ago and I still don't have cement floors. I use a very small pea gravel and I have hay for den boxes and shelves. The pea gravel drains well and I can hose down their cages during warmer weather to help clean smells and provide cooling. Hope some of this helps with you note taking. Glenda
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 00:00:40 -0800 Subject: FEL-L: escape by digging
> seriously try to dig out, or actually escape through digging out?
I know of a case where a dog, who used to play with a big cat, dug under the chain link and frame of a dirt cage to get in to play. Of course the cat decided to go exploring once the exit presented itself. The cat was recovered without incident. The owner has since beefed the caging to prevent this from happening again. Species would identify the owner, so can't tell you more specifics, private or otherwise.
Do not underestimate the determination of any animal to get in our out if it has that objective in mind (perceived threat, noise, fear, food, kids poking it with a stick, etc.). If you spec dirt floors you need a deep skirt (the cage, not you, Lynn };-) ) to keep from digging in or out. Of course a concrete pad eliminates this need.
Take a look at the requirements put forth in the Oregon rules that were written with input from Pacific Northwest Exotics Club, a Branch of LIOC. They make sense, provide flexibility, and help protect EVERYBODY from the other guy/gal. You'll find it at (look at Exhibit 1 of 635-044-0035):
http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/rules/OARS_600_1998/OAR_635_1998/635_044_1998.html
I wouldn't mind being part of the little group formulating the suggested lingo. We don't need any more escape incidents.
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 06:27:35 EST Subject: Re: FEL-L: escape by digging
Yes, I breed Bengals and one of my females with more wild blood recently dug her way to a male under chicken wire out of fear of being alone or because she was in heat. Thus, it became apparent to me that if she really had wanted, she could have dug her way out of the pen complex -- quite an eye-opener. Needless to say, I made changes accordingly. Hope this helps. Zeke
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 12:19:25 +0000 (GMT) Subject: Re: FEL-L: Escapes
Only a few days ago two jaguars in a zoo in France dug their way out of their enclosure, killed a boy and badly mauled his father. This seems to be a very unusual occurrence. I cannot recall hearing of a similar incident before, but it just goes to show that rare and tragic events can happen. Kelvyn. {johns@cardiff.ac.uk}
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 11:17:32 EST Subject: Re: FEL-L: Escapes
None of our cats has ever dug out, or tried to. We actually poke holes under the edge of some cages to help water drain out. None of the cages go more than an inch into the ground. All cages have natural floors, the habitat style cages have concrete floors in the den. We do have one 17 year old cougar on a tile floor, too many rocks out here to have her on a natural floor anymore, she has sensitive pads.
We have one open topped cage, about 10-12 feet tall, with a not-too-bright hybrid tiger in it. It would take a cat with more brains than she has to figure out how to climb up one of the corners. Nancy
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 21:55:07 -0800 Subject: FEL-L: exercise area
FYI, De Wildt Cheetah Centre in S. Africa has housed their cheetahs for over 20 years this way: 11- to 9-gauge chain link, some as low as 8-feet tall, most 9-10 feet (metric, so varies). Some with 2 foot inward overhang at 45 degrees, some not. The cats are all fully intact. No digging except in some cases with breeding teasers. Cats have scaled a fence on a handful of occasions. As a matter of fact, one to the benefit of research. The escaped cat ended up in another's enclosure and ended up in a pregnancy that resulted in the first king cheetah being born in captivity by accident, back in 1980.
Here at WAC, we are currently building a new exercise area. Almost 1/3 acre, 9-gauge, vinyl coated (resulting in 6-gauge) chain link. 10-feet tall vertical, with 3-feet 45-degree inward overhang. Three electric wires; nose height, 6 feet, and top rail. No concrete, nor buried fence, however, there is a "smooth wire" woven at ground level which disallows any flex of the fabric. This has not been used yet, but will be for various species. Ask again in a couple of months so I'll remember to report what the cat's think of it...
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1998 02:59:07 -0600 Subject: Re: FEL-L: Escapes
We have had large cats for over 6 years on natural floor with sand & gravel. We have tigers, lions, leopards, cougars, lynx, & bobcats & have never had any of them try to dig for any reason. We have had a 2 escapes due to human error & 1 that was very questionable.
A large male cougar, who was not social, but not aggressive, either, escaped through the top of his pen, which was covered with 4x4 wire. A ladder had been moved, & it was clear that the cat had been agitated. The transom above the gate was damaged, but he did not get out through it. He had never before or after tried to get out, there were no storms in the area, no reason that we have ever been able to find. It took 3 days to get him back, but he stayed on the section the whole time.
Another thing that made it questionable was the date. It was around July 4 that he escaped. 1 or 2 years before, on the same date, another breeder found his cages opened, padlocks cut off, several cougars wandering around town. He got 2 of them back, & was forced to shoot his favorite one.
A few years ago, a lion 'escaped' from a home that was outside of a city near here. He wound up in someone else's garage early in the morning & was shot & killed. It was on the news for a long time. This was a very calm animal, been around kids & dogs all his life. The TV news showed the bottom of a chain link fence, the metal pipe bent up, making an opening that he apparently crawled through. Maybe some digging, but who or what? This was not a regular cage, it was light weight fencing around a back yard. I've always wondered about that one, too.
We had an adolescent lion climb out of an 8 foot cage after her companions were sold. She went over to the adult lions cage & went to sleep. She was lonely. We covered the top of the cage.
If I sound a little paranoid, well, maybe I am. Even paranoid cat owners can have enemies.
We haven't had any problems in the last few years. We have 3 rottweilers, & a mastiff roaming around the place. Most people won't even get out of their car, until we come outside. Hope this helps, Donia
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1998 20:03:37 -0800 Subject: Re: FEL-L: escapes
> I used to have a chow dog that patrolled our yard
We use to have a dog that would run in the same area you describe but I was told by my USDA inspector that unless I was with the Dog that is would be a USDA violation to allow the dog to patrol that area outside of the cage but inside perimeter fence. I wonder why the differences in what is enforced and what isn't. Glenda :)
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 07:29:32 -0600 Subject: Re: FEL-L: escapes
Everything is open to individual inspector's interpretations. We own thirty acres, and in the center of that, we have 10 acres under 10 foot fences. Some of it is exercise areas, some of it is our personal yard area. All cat cage doors open up into the personal yard area. That is about 2 acres enclosed completely by 10 foot perimeter fence. The inspector couldn't refuse to have the dog in our yard. And when the chow left our yard he was outside the perimeter fence, patroling the rest of our property. Maybe that's why there was never any question about the dog.