Daily Republican., 1879-05-17
pUNIsuING WILD ANIMALS.
A Red Hot Iron Run Up the Irnnk
Of an ESeDhant at lentrAi Fark

..c1gs erazed." A New York reporter
entered Central Park few nights ago,
an was attracted by the shouts OF the
elephant keepers, and as he passed by
the no ,.se where the elephants We're
kept noticed several men and women
WHO stood looking in at the ANIMALS
The remarks "Oh, isn't that shame,
and GLOW brutal - from the visitors,
led him 70 the elephant house. The
two keepers in their shirt sleeves, arm
ed with pichforks, were gong up ana
down the narrow clubhouse among the
animals. They seemed to be particu'
larly savere in their attacks upon the
third elephant, which was backing
against the fourth and swinging is
trunk, while his huge ears fairly stooo
outward.
The stove near the door was red hot
and threw a GLOW of ligh. through the
whole stable. All the animals seemed
under great excit ana t. Every effort
of the Keepers to keep quiet the third
elephant seemed futile, and suddenly
ene of the keepers was struck by the
animal. The other keeper then picked
up a long iron poker that stood in the
fire, and while the other keeper pr, ,ssed
his long iron pointed pitchfork against
the ANIMALS trunk, this keeper seized
it and drove the poker quickly up the
animals trunk. At this several wo--
men who were present screamed, and
one man raped with a stick against
the glass, while others shouted,
shame ~ Shame ~
The keepers quickly turned out their
LIGHTS aul continued shouting at the
animals.
Two evenings later the same reporter,
happening to meet keeper with whom
h- is personally acquainted, and who
il kind, patient nlan with his charge,
incidentally remarked :
''What was the matter last Monday
with the elephants, that the Keepers
applied hot iron to one Of them =
How did you hear that'' asked the
keeper, starting.
"Well, was there replied the re-
lorter, and he described what he had
ter. "Why do keepers treat the ami
0,als so 20 he then asked.
The elephant that was so badly
punished" was the reply, sis Emper-
or. He is the same animal that, am
told, some time ago tramped his keeper
to death. He is vicious brute at best
but after his long confinement in the
cage he gets what We call 'crazed.
elephants are a great deal like hui
man bpings. They are the most intel
ligent and forb1aring of animals; but
they need exercise and air, and cannot
stand confinement. When they first
come here, alter long season of per
fprmance, they are tired out and need
rest. The first thing that is done to
them, when they enter their quarters,
is to oil them carefully, their skins be-
ing apt to crack. They will remain
quiet for long time after they have
been received here, but at almost any
moment they may break out in sud
den and almost uncomfortable rage. 1t
is not an unusual thing of a night to
hear the keepers, who sleep in the loft
above them, suddenly spring out of
their beds and run down and try to
pacify the poor brutes. One or another
of them after perhaps standing patient
ly all winter, chained to the staple,
with hardly enough room between them
to let them lie down, will get irritable.
Then they will begin fighting, and OF
course the keepers must use force tc
subdue them.
"Cirous men are obliged at times to
be apparently brutal with their ami
mails, for should the beasts not be en-
tirely cowed, there would be danger,
when on exhibition, of their killing
people. The use of the red-hot poker
as applied to Emperor, is not the first
time that have known it used here.
Emperor is a particularly vicious brute,
and his keepers are obliged to pay con-
slant and strict attention to him. At
the time the keeper applied the red hot
iron to him, know that the keeper 5
life was in danger. For that day while
one of the keepers was attending to
him, Emperor suddenly struck him
down with his trunk, dragged him
toward him, and would have trampled
him to death but for the other keeper
That's why they gave Emperor the rec
iron,' as the circus nen call it,
"Do they ever apply it to the othe'
animals ?" asked the reporter.
"Certainly Why last spring whet
the circus men came here to take thell
animals away the great African lior
became fairly crazed. Every effort wa
made to entice him into his circus cage
but he only roared and sprang at thu
bars of his own cage until it becam
dangerous even to leave him there.
"The order was given to heat tn
irons. You wouldn't believe it, bu
as iron after iron was poked at him, h
seized them in his mouth and bit them
At last his mouth was badly burned
and it was not till then that the clrcu
men had entirely cowei him to submis
son.'
We'll, what about Emperor - in
trrrupted the reporter. "Dld not tn
red-hot iron cause him terrible suffer
ing ~
"Why, certainly it did at the time
and one OF the keepers says that tn
an NAL has eaten nothing since Mon
day. He is, however, getting better
and in day or two will have recovere
altogether. You see, the inside Of tn
elephants trunk is a thi,k net OF mu:
cles i'll rings, harder than The toughe'
leather, and all chat the iron did Wa
to hurt him badly for the time bn
what was more important. it warn-
aim for the future :ha: it might be al
piled again."
'Is it usual TO punish elephants i
this manner ~
"No; have never known of an i,
Al /, .g,,,b mi lsl