Day Twenty-Two

After the somberness of my previous post, I thought this would be neat to write about!

Sounds of the Conservators' Center to a Deaf Person

I know, right. Fun posts are fun to write about! If you're interested, turn on the sound!

Tigers Chuffing

Tigers and snow leopards (of which we don't have) make a sound that Wikipedia calls prusten. It means to sneeze or snort. These large cats will often use it as a greeting to keepers, and to each other on neutral territory. Courting pairs will often chuff to each other.

Obviously, I cannot hear it as it is very breathy. I can tell when they do it, however, especially when they are laying down. Their rib cages push out as if they are letting out a couple of hard breaths.

Lions Oofing

Lions roaring (or "oofing") is a completely different story! It starts a little soft then quickly builds to a crescendo and then lets off into a series of groans. If I'm close enough I can actually hear the loudest part. The first time I remember experiencing an "oofing chorus," I was helping put a chain link ceiling on the new addition of Gryffindor and Pacino's enclosure. I was standing on their wooden den when I started feeling a rumble. It steadily got louder, which nixed my initial thought that a power tool was being used. When I looked around, I could see the lions in their enclosures oofing. They apparently "oof" when a fight breaks out and the animals involved will often do it as well, forgetting why they were fighting, among many other circumstances. They use it as a greeting or a way of communication.

In fact, once while I was kneeling and stabbing meat with a stick to feed Mufasa (under Janine's supervision, of course). Mufasa was right in front of me, Ugmo next to him, and Kiara behind me in the other shift. A squabble started over in the mixed pride.

All of a sudden, I feel a rumble. Then Mufasa and Ugmo opened their mouths. Remember - these lions can oof quite loudly. My ears were ringing and I could feel their rumblings in my chest. It was simultaneously the most terrifying and exhilarating thing I've experienced, staring into their mouths and feeling warm air blow past my face.

Some other animal videos are featured below. I cannot hear any of these, nor feel them. The best description would be to watch the videos with the sound off to get the "deaf experience."

As for servals, I can tell when they hiss, because they open their mouths and bare their teeth. That's pretty much it. Hissing is one of their main modes of communication and often doesn't mean they're angry or being insolent - they're "talking."

I recently learned that binturongs actually do make noise. They have a wide range of vocalizations when they're angry. If you're at the Center at the right time, you can hear Oliver fussing at Cole or the dogs to leave his kittens alone.

The Twilight Tour is a perfect time to hear the animals making noise! If you're interested, you can contact the Conservators' Center and make an appointment for a tour!