Did you know the tiger could go extinct in the wild, in YOUR lifetime?
It’s not too late to save them!
Carole Baskin from Big Cat Rescue partnered with Xennial Digital to educate the public about tiger extinction. Through a guided forest experience with a Big Cat Rescue tracker named Jamie, the VR experience enables the user to become a wildcat tracker assistant and learn how to find and protect tigers in the wild. The experience can be enjoyed either in English or Spanish and is officially available in the Oculus Rift Store.
In addition to being fun, informative and empowering, the app is FREE.
“We wanted to offer this experience for free in the hopes that schools, libraries, civic centers, zoos and individuals, could have access to the game. We are hoping to make it available on Oculus Quest, so that it can reach more people,” says Baskin. The technical work has all been done. Xennial is just waiting for approval from Oculus at this time.
Users assist in the search of a missing tiger and learn about the different ways to spot a tiger by looking for paw prints, scrape marks on trees, cat scat and the sounds of their prey. They will perfect their tracking skills with every new clue they find. Once they find and rescue the tiger, which has been snared by poachers, they will learn the process of sedating her and the veterinary steps involved. Once they release the tiger back into the wild, they'll see what her life is all about. Finally, when they return to the ranger station, they will discover how they can stop tiger farming and poaching in the real world.
“I am so thankful to the team at Xennial Digital for bringing this dream to life. In January of 2019 I hired a developer to prove to myself and to the zoo community that it is much more engaging to learn about wild cats, in a virtual reality setting than to see them languishing in cages. The first attempt at creating an educational game for Quest failed, but after meeting the Xennial Digital team at the Synapse Summit 2020, they quickly got the Rift version into the Oculus store.”
– Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
• Learn about the different ways to find a tiger in the forest.
• Learn about the process of rescuing and releasing captured tigers into the wild.
• Learn about tiger extinction causes and ways to stop tiger farming.
Users are expected to go through the experience in 10-15 minutes following the guided process. However, users have the freedom to explore around the forest, which will increase the length of used based on their preference.
Xennial Digital also had the opportunity to converse with Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue, about the release of the VR Game app and here’s what she told us:
XD: What was your main inspiration behind creating this experience in VR?
Carole: Our main goal in creating the Big Cat Rescue VR experience was to prove to the zoo industry that for the price of caring for just one tiger for four years, they can create much more educational, entertaining experiences. If zoos really care about animals and conservation, there is no better way for them to reach the most people with ways to learn and connect than through virtual reality.
XD: What are some key insights you’re hoping people learn from this experience?
Carole: Tigers will disappear in the wild in our lifetime if we don't take action now to save them. Most people don't understand why captive breeding programs actually harm tigers in the wild. This game leads the player through the difficulty of protecting wild tigers while teaching them the connection between the exploitation of cubs and the extinction of tigers in the wild.
XD: Have you been able to show it to other team members at Big Cat Rescue and what has been their reaction?
Carole: It has been fun to share the experience with our staff and volunteers because none of them had ever put on a headset before. To see the huge smiles on their faces as they enter this pristine forest and go searching for Jasmine Tiger has been thrilling to me. Our people already understand that captive breeding of big cats is causing their extinction, so my hope is that people who don't know will have both the sense of awe at the beauty of the experience, and come away with a deep understanding of how they can protect the tiger and other big cats from extinction.
To learn how you can partner with Xennial Digital to create Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality experiences and set up a free consultation, please contact us at xennial@xennialdigital.com
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