Tiger Creek Terminology

The world of raising and caring for animals comes with its own unique vocabulary. Often, when we talk about our work with friends, they look at us as if we're speaking a foreign language! So today, we’re inviting you into our world to explore some of our most commonly used phrases and terminology, and what they mean.

Animal Welfare is at the heart of everything we do at Tiger Creek. In the zoological world, animal welfare refers to the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of animals under human care. This means ensuring that every animal's basic needs are met—such as food, water, shelter, and health care—while also going beyond the basics to support their psychological health through enrichment, training, social opportunities, and habitat design. Good welfare is not just about survival; it’s about allowing animals to thrive.

Animal Husbandry is one topic that is discussed very often within the walls of Tiger Creek. Animal husbandry refers to the comprehensive daily care and management of animals to promote their health, welfare, and species-specific needs. This includes feeding, sanitation, behavioral enrichment, training, veterinary care, and maintaining appropriate environmental conditions. Everything our staff does is for the care of the animals that reside within Tiger Creek. Animal Husbandry is the entirety of our mission! The care we give our animals on a daily basis ranges from ensuring their physical health to stimulating their natural behaviors using enrichment!

Crepuscular animals are mostly active during dawn and twilight. Tiger Creek is home to several species that begin moving around more in these quiet, lower-light hours. Our bobcats, foxes, and serval are all considered crepuscular animals.

Nocturnal animals are active at night and sleep during the day. These animals generally have hearing, smell, and eyesight that is more highly developed than those who are active during the day. These superior senses can help them detect and track prey in low light.

Diurnal animals are active during the day and rest at night. They typically rely more on sight than smell or sound and may be more visually oriented. Many of Tiger Creek’s big cats, such as lions and tigers, show diurnal tendencies, especially during feeding times and enrichment activities when staff are present.

Alema's enrichment includes logs in her enclosure that she can use as scratching posts and for climbing!

Enrichment is a proactive, evidence-based practice designed to stimulate an animal’s mind and body by promoting natural behaviors. At AZA-accredited facilities, enrichment is part of daily husbandry routines and is tailored to each species’ cognitive and physical needs. This is split into five different categories - cognitive, behavioral, gustatory, environmental, and tactile. Enrichment is given to our residents daily in many different ways! We use things like diluted essential oil to stimulate the olfactory sense, which results in some funny faces from our big cats. Our primates enjoy receiving puzzle feeders hiding their favorite treats. Ring-Tailed Lemur pair,  Leonard and Lily, really enjoy finding their favorite veggies in their puzzle feeders, or hidden throughout their yard for a treat hunt, both of which stimulate foraging. Our Sulcata Tortoises, Myrtle, Toogie, and Tootsie, enjoy getting their daily leafy greens in a hol-ee ball, which also stimulates their natural foraging behavior. Our big cats enjoy receiving various proteins for their meat hunts! Meat hunts are used to allow our big cats to use their strong sense of smell to sniff out their much deserved reward. It is hard work being as majestic as they are! Next time you come to visit, see if you can find the enrichment item of the day for all of our different species. The enrichment you see in yards of our residents is only a portion of what they receive. Many of our Animal Care team members know that certain residents enjoy specific activities, such as the cardboard pony Sitaara received on her birthday. While our older residents, like 18 year old Padma, enjoy scent trails more. Some enrichment items are a special project for specific critters! Padma tends to enjoy new scents and for her toys to be moved around her yard, simulating a new environment, so this is something that her keepers do for her each and every day. Just like us, animals have their own personality and preferences!

Elouise is pictured exploring her patriotic enrichment

Training is another activity that takes place at Tiger Creek. When you hear training, you probably think of the circus. Jumping through flaming hoops, elephants balancing on tight ropes, or simply put; an animal trained for the entertainment of humans. Rest assured, that is not the goal of our training sessions. Every Tiger Creek animal is trained for voluntary veterinary care! Meaning we are able to avoid the stress of the animals being put under anesthesia to be examined. Our residents are trained to show individual paws, so their paw pads can be examined. They are trained to rise up on their hind legs so their abdomen can be seen. They can open their mouths on command, showing all of their teeth and their tongue. They are even trained to allow our Animal Care team to draw blood from their tails! All of these training sessions not only allow Animal Care to build a bond with the animals, it allows us to make sure they are in tip top shape every day.

Have you ever heard of the Vomeronasal organ? What about a "stinky face"? Cats make this face when they smell something new and want to take in as much information about it as possible! They open their mouth and take a big whiff to allow the vomeronasal organ (VNO), to collect everything it can! The VNO is most often called the Jacobson's organ. It is located in the nasal cavity, just above the roof of the mouth. Many species have this organ, however, cats seem to have the biggest response to its function. In the wild, the organ would help them to sniff out different markings left by other animals; such as territory, aggression or even maturity during mating season. We often see this reaction when we use prey scents or essential oils on the toys in their yards. Pomfret and her neighbor Sitaara have a very dramatic reaction to these scents! They open their mouths wide, scrunch up their face and stick their tongues out, making a very silly "stinky face"!

This "stinky face" is a cat's way of gathering more information about their environment through smell.

Understanding the language of the zoological world opens up a whole new depth of appreciation for the dedicated care provided to our animal residents at Tiger Creek. From the thoughtful enrichment activities that cater to each animal's unique preferences to the vital training sessions that ensure their well-being, every aspect of our work is aimed at enhancing their lives. As you continue to learn about these fascinating concepts, we invite you to join us in celebrating the extraordinary personalities of our animals. Whether you're visiting us in person or simply following our journey online, remember that every interaction helps foster a deeper connection with the incredible creatures we share our lives with. Thank you for stepping into our world today—together, we can make a difference in the lives of these amazing animals!