Banshee – the challenge and the reward

Those who have been reading these articles for the last few months are very much aware of the efforts for the Staff of AVWS to supply enrichment to the animals in residence at AVWS.

Enrichment can take as many forms as there are species. Each species comes with its “peculiarities” which can make enrichment very simple or very challenging. Raccoons for example need not much more than a hand me down Fisher Price little peoples truck or car, or a ball or any number of things (all of which are an ongoing need) that encourage their dexterity and satisfies their insatiable curiosity. Not so with a Eurasian Lynx, especially one named Banshee.

According to the stories that have been passed down, Banshee came to AVWS a number of years ago as a result of her usefulness as a model kitten no longer required. Banshee had apparently been used in commercials and as she grew became a liability. It was decided she would be euthanized. A camera man decided that this should not be the case and set out to find the beautiful animal a home, hence her arrival at AVWS.

She truly is a beautiful creature, with her “Cleopatra” eyes and her luxurious coat and with her appealing mannerisms she woos and wins over hearts every visiting day, at least when she deigns to appear. Banshee can be quite reclusive hiding in her lofty home or laying in the tall grass of her enclosure, you can be very certain that while you may not see her….she sees you!

The Staff of AVWS work very hard to make the animals lives as rich and enjoyable as possible. Finding enrichment for Banshee comes with its challenges as unlike other animals that can be approached and touched, we have not yet found the person that is willing to try and befriend Banshee to that degree. I believe the last person who tried to pet Banshee is now referred to as “lefty”.

Food is very important to Banshee and so efforts to give her some pleasure have included feeding her a full feathered chicken which was a huge success, an enormous knuckle bone which was met with initial glee, and various “toys”.

Recently, we acquired a pillow made of heavy canvass that had been filled with catnip!
With no hesitation whatsoever, Banshee took to this new toy with complete and utter abandon. She cuddled, squirmed, rolled and rubbed the pillow with obvious pleasure. She then threw it in the air and then pounced on it and gave it a jolly good rollicking. The Staff take great pleasure in knowing that their efforts have paid off by giving another one of our animals some enrichment, making their days a lot less mundane and more fulfilled. Now that’s rewarding!  Thanks to Katy for the pillow of pleasure.

Watch Banshee with her pillow………

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