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[Smurfdor]

To make a long story short, I had my dwarves rob the hell out of an elfish caravan, they have a bunch of tame caged animals that I'd like to release, but I cant get a lever to link up to the cages, is there something else I ought to be doing? or are stolen animals just a write off?

[JAFANZ]

In other threads I've read conflicting information relating to this, one was that you can transfer them other cages & release the from those, the other was that animals acquired off a dead merchant couldn't be freed.

It's probably worth trying the former.

[Encased in burning magma]

To make a long story short, I had my dwarves rob the hell out of an elfish caravan, they have a bunch of tame caged animals that I'd like to release, but I cant get a lever to link up to the cages, is there something else I ought to be doing? or are stolen animals just a write off?

Uh, did you build the cages?

[Smurfdor]

thanks for the tip, I'll try transfering, and no I didn't build the cages

[ledgekindred]

You can definitely open cages from dead merchants.  I just had (in .12) an Elf caravan get ambushed by goblins on the way out of my fort after trading and get wiped out.  After I took care of the goblins, I took all the Elf crap including a bunch of animals.  I built the cages (b-j) and took the animals out, trained 'em up and got some cool stuff like a couple War Grizzly Bears, War Jaguars and some hippos which, sadly, could not be trained as war animals.  So we ate 'em instead.  There was also a tamed Giant Desert Scorpion which also could not be trained as a War animal, but was outside when an ambush came in and kicked the ever loving %$# out of a good dozen goblin swordsmen before they took it down.

After you build a cage, examine it as if it were a room with 'q' and then 'a'ssign animals to it.  Unselect the animal that's in it and someone with Animal Hauling will come release it.  Make sure it's (Tame) before you release it.  (All the ones I've gotten from Elves have been.)  If not, have an Animal Trainer come "Tame Large Animal" first.  If you are lucky, it will be something you can then train as a War Animal.  Like Grizzly Bears.

[The1nk]

thanks for the tip, I'll try transfering, and no I didn't build the cages

that's 100% your problem.

Unbuilt cages get stored in an animal stockpile, whether filled or empty, regardless with what's in them.

You need to build your cage (b-j), then you can press X to see which cage you want to build (helps to build non-blank cages ).

Once this cage is built, you can assign/unassign critters to/from it, and/or link it to levers.

Hope this helps!

Edit: Ninja'd! Also, if you *sieze* them from the merchants, make sure they're not Forbidden. Not sure if Siezing them marks them as forbidden, probably not, but worth a doubletake anyhow.

[ledgekindred]

I don't really remember if this is new to 2010, but you can assign animals to built cages when they are in unbuilt cages in the stockpile.

i.e. if OP builds one cage, he can then assign all the animals in cages that he got from the Elves to that one cage and the dwarves will transfer them.  (But again make sure you only do with (Tame) animals or you will have some Fun.)

[Smurfdor]

oh, of course, stupid me, I'll build the cages, thanks for the help