Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-04-19
TRAINING SAVAGE BEASTS.
Methods Of a Tutor whose Pupils Desire 70
DRNnnr Him

whom We gather the following facts
"When you want TO train lions. or
tigers, or leopards, or hyenas, the pre-
paratory steps in all cases are the same.
You first get them used to you from the
outside of the cage, feeding and water
ing them, peaking to them and some
times touching them through the bars
when they are in such positions that
they cannot readily get hold of you.
Then You go into the cage to sweep it
out. Keep your broom going-never
let them get near enough to you to smell
ofyou, or they will snatch you the in
slant after-and make them pass Won.
driving them about with whip. When
you have them thoroughly familiarized
with your presence you may begin their
education. Some trainers in old times
used to clip their claws and put muzzles
on them, but 1 never did, and never
considered it any use, except, perhaps,
in the case of leopard that you are
training to Jump on your back. Wheth-
er you clip their claws or not, tiger or
a lion, especially the lion, has force
enough in his arm to mash man down
almost as you would fly. And it isn't
right, for the animal needs his claws.
They are his forks to hold his meat with
when he eats. As for the muzzle. LIE
knows whether he has it on or not. inst
as well as you do, and the memory of it
has no influence on him wheni is not on.
You can't teach wild beasts any great
variety of tricks. You make .thann
UP in tlle v0Iuers OI the cage, jump over
your whip, through hoop or balloon,
or over you, or each other, and you sit
down on them, and that about exhausts
their capabilities for learning. To make
them jump you hold q stick and drive
them over it with your whip, holding it
low at first and gradually raising it. If
You want them to go through hoop,
hold it with gate set in under it SO
they can't go beneath, and whip them
through. If you want an animal to rear
up, 1t may be necessary to have rope
or chain dropped through the roof of
the cage and either swing about its neck
or fastened to a collar, and when you
whip it and order it to stand up, have a
couple of men above to haul up and
make it stand on its hind legs. After
few times the rope will not be necessary.
See my splendid tigresses, how they
stand up. They were trained that way
You must always make them do the same
thing In the same place-that is, in the
same corner or in the center of the cage.
Ii you want to sit on lion or tiger, get
the animal trained to remain quiet in
one place while you stroke it gently, at
trst with the whip, next with your hand.
and finally you can press on it, and at
last sit down on its launches, but never
cease to keep q sharp lookout upon it
Tor the slightest sign of treachery. The
old Van Amburgh feat of q man putting
his head in lions mouth is safest done
with very docile old lion, well fed and
toothless as possible, but it may be done
with some risk, of course-to young
er brute if he is very good natured, and
you work up to it by gradual familiar
tiles about his head, opening his mouth,
and so on. With a tiger the best plan
is to-let it alone. When you feed them
scraps OF meat while you are in the cage,
never take in much, and of that you
have, see that it is free from bones and
cut in such small chunks that one of
them may be swallowed at a single
schloop. Toss it to them. Don't hold
1t IN your hand, or they Il take hand and
all, without noticing the difference, per-
maps. Firing guns and pistols always
excltes them, but I can't say that I
THINK 1t frightens them at all after they
have found out once that it does not
hurt them. You must watch them all
the time. Never trust them for an in
slant. If you study them as you should
and know your business properly, you
will understand their every look and
motion, every curl of the lip, switch Of
the tail, tremor of the muscles, and
culver of the cruel claws. All those
things are the animals language, and il
1t Is strange to you so much the worse
Tor you. For instance, you may whip 6
lion Tor i've minutes when he is sulking
IN corner without any danger, an(
then suddenly you see the look warning
you that one blow more will bring hin
on you with the force of thunderbol
and the mad fury of demon. No, it il
not threatening look at you, and i
isn't emphasized with any growl. HI
Just sits up and seems to gaze off int
the distance, with far-away, dream,
look IN his eyes. Strike him then ant
you will have to battle for your life in
second after. Affect to disregard hin
and turn your whip to another beast
and In few moments his fear of yo1
may return to him, and his desperat
courage will have gone. But you mus
DE able to see when that time come
again. lion is bad animal to hav
any Misunderstanding with.
There is no truth in those storie
that sometimes get about of animt
tanners wearing shirts of mail and thic
clothing. Cooper used to wear sol
leather leggings, but I never though
they were any good. So far as safety
concerned, I'd just as lieve go make
among the animals if they had once &c
used to seeing me outside that way. BIZ
whatever else you do or don't veal
never go among them without somethin
In your hand to strike them. After the
are once trained stick, or even stray
will do, until they find out that it doesn
hurt them. When that time come
though-especially if you are anon
tlgers-look out. Remember alway
the law of love is unknown to them, an
nothing can be relied upon except te
ror. The more cruel you are whe
cruelty is needed, and with Judgment,
course, the longer you will probab
live among them. There are some Graz
beasts that you can never tame. v
have lion of that sort here. No kin
ness can reach him; no force short
death could subdue him. We call hi
crazy, but he is just devilish and tn
he always will be. He lives for nothir
but the hope of killing somebody
something. Once in Augusta, Ga,
got out, bounded over into pen twel
feet high where yak was confined, al
killed that yak in less than forty second
He never looses chance to make or