Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1894-03-10
THE TRAINED SEALS.
CAPTAIN WESTON TELLS ABOUT HIS
THREE PERFORMERS.

Captured hobby, Disby and Tommy.
somo of Their TrickH--Thcy Live Upon
Salt water Elsh.
OF all the different animals that go to
make up the animal kingdom fish ID
perhans tho strangcst that should be
chosen for training, yet tho acts done by
tho three seals under Captain Weston's
guidance show that even n fish can do
! wonderful things. Those now perform
| ing every day are tho oldest seals in
captivity. Seals aro extremely delicate,
and they rarely live away from their
native sea and rocks for moro than a
year, and yet these seals, Bobby, Bibby
and Tommy, have been performing reg
ularly for six years. Their longevity Is
undoubtedly due to the fact that they
receive great care.
The exact spot of the birthplace of
these seals is not known, but when they
were Youngsters they were found on one
of the islands off Coxshavcn in Germany.
The German government does all it can
to protect its fisheries, and as seals are
IL constant menace to fish the govern
ment pays a reward of . marks for the
capture of each seal. There is famous
seal fisherman in Germany named
Workman, and when Captain Weston,
who had been on many scaling and
whaling expeditions in the North sea,
determined that he would give up the
life of n sailor and become landlubber
il occurred to him that the training of
seals would be novel and profitable. He
went to Workman. and together they
captured the three sleek little fellows.
There are many islands outside OF Coxs-
haven, and one of the smallest was
chosen. In describing the capture Cap
tain Weston said:
We stretched the net on one side of one
of the smaller islands and then went to
the others and shot oil pistols and made
noise. driving many seals into the wa
ter and against the net. We had to
work very quickly, because the seals
dived down and became entangled in the
net, and q seal will drown If kept five
minutes under water. When we finally
pulled them up, we found that we had
about 90 seals, but when they found
themselves altogether they became en-
ragged and fought among themselves,
biting, scratching and tearing, even
killing ono another, until there were
only three left, and these three are the
same three have today.
One has only faint idea OF the
amount of patience which it requires to
teach a fish, for such seal really is.
II looks easy to sec one of my seals play
the banjo or a harp, but it took me
three months of hard work every day
to teach them to do this even in an i'm
perfect manner, and the only reason
that can give is that they have been
at it long enough to learn.
have never before known seal to
live in captivity over one year, and yet
| have had mine many times that.
am often surprised at their intelligence.
Especially is this true OF Bobby, the
> clown. believe that that fish under.
stands humor, because he does things nj
times which actually make me laugh,
, to say nothing about the audience. He
is the best seal ever had, the best
ever will have, and think that he has
an affection for me, and that he knows
:. almost everything that say to him.
Yes, the care of seals is a great one
keep them in II tank, and above the
water is shelf for them to lie on wheI
they feel SO inclined. This water il
!, changed three times day, and q
. pounds of salt are put into the water n
each change, for seal cannot live ii
II fresh water, you know. They are n
. plump and fat today us they We're lyini
g on their native rocks in the Nortl
- sea, and they know great deal NOR
- about tho world than they otherwis
's would have known. 1t may surpris
- some people, but it is nevertheless
10 fact, that these three seals eat 500 pound
i. of fish week. They will only eat sea
= fish, such rs herring or founder, and
. attribute their long life to the fact tina
10 | am very careful with their food. Th
fish are WASHED and cleaned and tn
- -. heads cut Off just us carefully and jus
-. =. ms cleanly us though going on hote
~ table. The seal does not chew fish
- but swallows it whole, and it woul
40 80 surprise you to see how great mass {
w. fish will disappear when three seals g'
w w at it. All the accomplishments of thes
'.a ,a seals are not shown. They have hee
~ tanght water tricks. can throw
IN cent piece llto taHh VI "a'ci, "u'
H.. small as the piece is and flat us il. liz
~ on the bottom, mt word OF conman
~ any one of my seals will dive for it IN
-, get it. This do not show in public
"a -, because the tank is an unwieldy thin
20 to keep aboCt.
", .o Have they ever bitten me? Yes, ae
-; eral times, and the seals bite is Das
w. one. The last time was when place
:. the tambourine in front of Bibb
,ss ~ Without waning he grabbed me by Il
az ~, arm. and certainly thought no wou
- take big piece out of it before cou
.oa make him let go, and was obliged
W. strike him very severely before cou
,aJ I get him TO let loose. My seals to i
'" ','h are great pets, and think as much
r. H. them as would Of child, for thu
great, big, intelligent eyes look up In