The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1878-11-01
A HYENA's LUNCH.
Frightful Struggle in Cincinnati
Between Wild Beast and its
Keeper.

On the 18th of June desperate
struggle took place in the carnivora
house at the Fair Grounds, between
IA striped female hyena, lately pur-
chased, and n large spotted hyena,
occupying, with its mate, one of the
cages. The fight was bloody one,
and the striped animal received in
juries which caused death in a few
hours, despite the brave efforts to
rescue 1t from its assailant made by
Mr.. Winners, one of the keepers at
the Fair Grounds. He boldly en-
tered the cage when the animals were
fighting, and pounded the spotted
animal ON the head with club until
IL was stunned and its victim re-
leased. Yesterday the spotted hyena
had its revenge.
Since the fight in June the spotted
hyena, with another of the same spc-
cies, have occupied cage in the car
nivora house, between lions cage
and the one appropriated to the
leopards. Winners has attended to
the animals as usual, and the hyenas
have, since relieved of the objection
able striped associates, seemed us
tractable as hyenas ever get, which
is nothing to speak of. Yesterday
afternoon at about five o'clock few
people, including n couple of ladies,
were gathered about the carnivora
house looking at the animals, when
Winners, the keeper, CHANGED to pass
along between the railing and cages.
lie is familiar with the animals, and
the ferocious beasts seem to enter
tain sort of friendship for him. AS
he passed along he pattcd the leo
pard on the head, and the beast
seemed rather to like the attention,
Then he came to the hyenas' cages.
The big spotted brute lay close to the
bars, and its mate was little way
off. Winners carelessly,a las he passed,
reached out his hand and patted the
hyena as he had the leopard. 1t was
cruel mistake,
The ugly brute. awaiting his OPP
portunity for months, saw il at last,
and as quick as lightning, caught the
kindly hand in his mouth, sinking
Its tanks into IL deeply. There was
frightful struggle. The man sough.
to tear his hand away, and at the
same instant, with growl, the other
hyena sprang to the assistance of its
mate. For moment it seemed as
though Winners would have his en-
tire arm drawn in through the bars,
but with supreme effort he wrench
ed himself though "a cripple. The
strong jaws of the hyena had not
loosened their grip, and the left por-
ton of the right hand was torn away
n ta al a 4,
and sinews parting like threads in
the grip of the ugly brute, who drew
back yelling with his bloody mouth
full. The ladies who witnessed the
terrible scene were to be pitied, one
of them almost tainted at the time
and being i'll from the effects of the
sight even after getting into a street.
car. Assistance was promptly sum
moned and Winners was conveyed
to physician, who bound up the
mangled stump, the man suffering
excruciating pains from his injuIies.
He will, of course, be crippled by
the occurrence. The men who car
ried him to physician came back
pallid as specters.
Winners has been long engaged as
keeper of animals, and is under
stood to have been seriously hurt by
a lion in his charge. His brother,
also a keeper at the grounds, re-
preached him yesterday for his care
lessness, saying that one so expert
enced should have known better than
to trust hyena; but the wounded
man did not consider himself much
to be blamed. The hyenas, after the
occurrence of yesterday, dashed
about like mad things. They Shrek
ed continually, and the other animals
Joined in, making the gardens re-
sound for quite time with the ugli-
est of choruses