UCA alum Courtney Dunn, who currently works at the Dallas World Aquarium as senior mammal keeper, founded the effort of The Prusten Project.
The Prusten Project consists of using the sounds that tigers make to try to protect tigers and boost their populations in the wild. “Prusten” is another word for the sound tigers make called “chuffing,” which is a short grunt-like snort used a greeting.
“What we have discovered with our research is that tiger voices can be used like a fingerprint for individuals, like a vocal fingerprint as unique as you and I,” Dunn said.