Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-06-12
MONEY IN A MENAGERIE.
WILD BEASTS THAT THRIVE
BEST BEHIND BARS.
Tho Cat Tribes are Profitable stock, but
are Subject TO Climatic Troubles
The Elephant Is Hardy but
Not Prolific.


t~'r tn.
IL must seem TO everybody a sur
prising thing that wild animals in
travelling menageries live in confine-
ment for years in apparently perfect
health. Everybody knows what the
life OF a menagerie animal is-how it
Is shaken about in travelling from
place to place how it is exposed to
draughts and violent climatic changes.
how its rest is disturbed by rough
roads at night and how its temper is
tried by crowds of mischievous boys
and curious sight-seers by day. Yet
in spite of all this, most animals live
to ripe old age, and many of them, if
not shot in pity for their feebleness
die in their cages of the very burden
of the years they bear. Indeed, some
specialists say that, considering the
perils attendant upon animal life in
the wilds an animal has as good if not
better chance OF long life in a menag-
erie cage than in his native forest.
1t would be misleading, however, TO
let this statement pass without qualif-
cation. Health and longevity are not
the portions Of all wild animals in cap
tivity. The CONGRATULATIONS just made
are true Of the animals usually found
in menageries, but it must be consid-
cred that these animals have been Sc
lected for menagerie purposes after
years of experience on the part OF
showmen. Those that do not stand
aa, M iuify xUnn oA,,rrht h.,
showmen, because they are poor in
vestments. Thus it is that all mepag-
cries are more or less alike
James A. Bailey, the partner of the
late z. I. Barnum, recently talked en-
certainly on this subject. Mr.. Bailey
is an acknowledged authority.
animals of the cat tribe" said Mr..
Bailey, "are always splendid stock.
They are invariably hardy and long
lived, and considering that most of
them come from tropical countries,
they stand hardship and exposure To
the vagaries of our climate remarkably
well. They all live a dozen years in
captivity, and often much longer. /
know of lions now in cages in this
country which have been here from
twenty-five TO thirty years. Tigers
are just about as long lived, and leo
pards and pantherS are not far behind.
Lions and tigers, if full grown and
healthy, are worth from $500 TO 81 200
apiece. A good pair Of lions or tigers
is an excellent investment. 1t costs "a
pile TO feed them. OF course, but they
reproduce so frequently that they pay
well. a good tigress will produce two
litters of cubs a year four in each
litter, OF which at least half may be
successfully raised. Leopards and
panthers generally eat their young, or
at least kill them.
y "But you must be very careful with
your lions, tigers, and leopards, though
they are hardy. Their great danger
lies in pneumonia, which they are apt
to catch on the slightest provocadon
in ways that are difficult to trace.
Draughts kill by far the most Of those
who die prematurely. Their lungs
we're made for tropical air, and they
catch cold easily. During the three
weeks we were in London five leopards
died. Post-mortem examinations
showed that their lungs were affected.
We have had great success with all the
big cats. Our winter quarters are
perfect and our cages are draught
proof. Zoos generally use horse meat,
but l believe it pays TO buy the best
beef With the best of treatment
though, they occasionally NOPE and
lose appetite. Then we give them a
little fresh blood still hot, TO drink,
and if that doesn't tone them up we
drop a few live turkeys, chickens. or
rabbits into their cages and let them
do their own Strengthening. That al
ways brings them into condition.
Elephants are even better stock than
the cats, so far as sturdiness and lon
gevity are concerned. They don't pay
dividends, though, for they almost
never reproduce in captivity. AS far
as have learned, the baby elephant
that was born in Mr.. Barnum's show
some years ago was the only one born
in captivity. But elephants will stand
nearly anything. They require COM
paratively little care and are very use
full, too, around the show. They pull
and push and haul whenever needed
and save no end of trouble and costly
power. The time was few years ago
when elephants were tremendous at
fractions, and shows were popularity
rated by the number of elephants they
carried with them. Now, however,
they are a drug on the market-at
least in America. A good elephant
here is worth from 81, 500 to So, 600,
according to his age, size temper and
intelligence. In Europe good ele-
;1hant is worth from 81. 600 TO SO, 600.
You see. a really first-class, we'll
trained elephant has a more or less
constant value the world over. OF
course, very finely trained animal
will bring high price anywhere and
at any time. As for age, why, there's
really no telling how long an elephant
will live in captivity. One big fellow,
Fritz, is 25 years old, and he's still
growing. Few elephants die natural
deaths. II they don't meet with some
accident, they get savage and danger
Gus eventually, and have to be
killed"