The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-05-15
KING OVER LIONS.
EXPERIENCES OF ONE WHO HAS
BECOME A MASTER.
Lets Them Toy With Dummies-Never
Gives Them an Opportunity to
Get an Advantage.

Ildu 1ulellSCl 10 always lLlSp4L 80
D'Osta, world famous tanner of lions,
and a member of the Greedy expedition,
told some very interesting things to a
reporter of the Star in Washington.
Mr.. D'Osta was found in the cage
with his three babies" as he calls
them-'Brutus," Victoria and Spit
fre''-enjoying himself apparently as
well as though he were in company
with his most trusted friends, while the
three beasts were growing and gnash-
make "hot sausage" of him at any
minute. Although Mr.. D'Osta does not
appear in the cage during the shows,
he is the owner of the animals, having
trained them and reared them up in
the way they should 60" His wife.
who is known as Pauline Mana does
all the honors on the stage, while he
does all the breaking in"
This plucky young Englishman gave
detailed account of his eventful life
and Of his methods of training all sorts
of wild beasts, but especially outlined
the course of education of his lions.
His treatment, he claims, is entirely
original, and he considers it the only
honest method of managing the treach-
erous beasts. There is no such thing"
he said, 'as tanning a lion. You can
raise them from cubs and be with them
every hour in the day, but when they
attain a certain age they are sure to
be treacherous 1 always import my
beasts from their native countries after
they have entirely matured, and
know they are healthy and that their
faculties are fully developed.
TOY WITH A DUMMY MAN
My first tanning, or, rather, deceiv-
ing, process is to put them in large
cages, in groups, just as they are to
work throughout their careers, for a
strange lion would soon devour a
trained one if they came in contact
Through an opening in the top of the
cage dummy figure of a man is low
cred with a rope. This is my time to
watch. If a lion springs upon it in
stantly and tears it to pieces then [
know that he is to be looked out for,
but if he creeps up to it slowly and
then makes a grab for it I know he can
be resisted by constant lodging and
moving about in the cage; and if he at
once backs off in crowd 1 know he is
my man, and that I can scare him into
almost any kind of submission.
This dummy he said, sis put into
the cage every day for several weeks,
or several months, until the beasts are
thoroughly understood. One day we
dance it around, lodging every attack
of the animals, and noticing every
characteristic Of their movements; an
other time we apparently walk the
thing around, and see if it is closely
pursued, or whether the beasts can
easily overtake it while going around
the cage. Still another time the figure
is made to pounce upon the beasts, ride
them, and cut UP all sorts of Shines
in the cage, getting them used, day by
day. to this sort of torment, which they
finally see can't be resisted. Thus the
brutes become more or less careless of
IL NNleo
part of the training begins"
Interesting" said a copper" who
was standing on the stage. taking in
the interview. by George, 1 always
thought my life was a tough one, but
yours beats the snakes"
The Zion tanner" however. smiled.
as though his past had been all golden.
his future was predestined to be one
of glory, and as though he carried a
million-dollar insurance policy in his
inside pocket, and as he went on with
his talk, putting at cigar, he occa-
sionally emphasized his remarks by
giving Brutus a gentle jolt with long
pole, or otherwise creating melody from
Vic or Spit.
VIGILANCE IS THE PRICE.
when man first enters a cage fill
ed with strange lions" he continued,
''he must be on the lookout. of course,
as this is the most precarious period.
The beasts by no means take him for
another dummy, as they can smell the
very blood circulating in his body. Sew
eral men are stationed at the doors
of the cage, which is held either open
or shut with strong ropes. others are
put at almost every opening between
the bars, with rails. with which they
can partition off the man from the
hna in Of fyCr L.
''At first the actions of the beasts
must be studied again. but they are. al
most without exception, the same as
they were in the first place, with the
dummy. Thus, from day to day, have
become thoroughly acquainted with
many of the widest lions, until at last.
after hard work and plenty of patience.
Il have made them jump over bars, set
on their hind legs, and perform all
sorts of tricks, similar to those which
you have seen these fellows do
Mr.. D'Osta said he had been raised
among wild animals, having inherited
the love for them from his father and
his grandfather, who have all been in
the business, but none of whom have
ever been so intimately associated with
them as had he. At the age of three.
he says, he was first put into cage
of cub lions, and ever since that time
he had not been satisfied unless he has
been handling them continually.
He also described the methods used
by most show companies, who have
cages, the floors of which are metal
connected with an electric battery
keeping the beasts benumbed and
scared as soon as the current is turned
on. although they were ferocious ana
making hideous noise before the So
called tanner enters the cage, and
starts the machinery going. In many
instances, he said, ether is used to put
the beasts to sleep. and they are made
to perform just after they have awak-
ened, before they have recovered the
use Of their limbs. In moN casas in
these fake" shows, he said, old. worn
out lions are found which are so badly
used up and crippled that the slightest
touch of whip brings them into sub
mission.
HIS ANIMALS ARE LIVELY.
However. it is apparent that his
beasts are sound, for their Ieaping I'D
| into the air and tumbling over one an
lother, in their play seemed to threaten
| the destruction of their cage at any
minute. Spitfire, who is a Kaffarian,
| and Victoria, a Senegal. their trainer
| said, are the most vicious of the three.
as females in the lion kingdom gener-
i ally are, the former having recently torn
| one of their keepers limb from limb
while he was cleaning out their cage.
Brutus, who is the favorite, is a genu-
| inc black-maned Nubian, only four
years old, and is quite amiable in that
he generally gives good warning before
/ he kills anyone, which is considered
I a strictly moral trait.
Mr.. DOsta, as a member Of the
Csree1V expeditiOn brought from tha