The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-03-20
TASK OF a LION tanner.
Patience and Iron Nerve Needed to Subdu
the Fierce Brutes.


Lions which are to be trained fol-
performing in public must be taken
when Young. About nine or ter
months is the usual age, as the train
ing can rarely be impaired after they
have begun to get their second teeth.
Lions born in captivity are nearly OF
quite useless for exhibition purposes.
as they are generally very stupid and
lacking in spirit, the result frequently
of inbreeding. The best lions come
from Nubia and Abyssinia. The. fe
males are much more clever and teach
able, but the males present the more
Imposing appearance, and are there
fore more sought after. The natural
emotion which the beasts feel toward
man is fear. Consequently, the first
step in their education is TO teach
them that the human beings they see
have no intention of hurting them
This confidence being established by
familiarity with the trainer, they are
taught to wear collar with a chain
attached. This is often difficult mat
ter to teach. for the lions would kill
themselves if they were chained up
and must be constantly watched until
they have become accustomed to the
collar. Having established in some
degree at least the entente cordiale,
the trainer begins with simple tricks
teaching the beasts to sit on chair o.
lie in a certain position. For this ad.
vance patience and gentleness are
requisite; the animals rarely fail te
show signs of temper at the restraint
but the trainer gives them no peace
until they have realized that it will be
better for them to do what is required.
If lion has become too large and
strong, the work is doubly difficult
for if he turns out to be rogue, the
efforts of the trainer may be fruitless.
On very rare occasions lions whose
training began at the age of two OF
three years have been made into suc
cessful performers.
Lions are very obstinate and sulky
brutes and their training is generally
one of fear, but they learn to detect the
differerice between harsh and kindly
words s-a sign of marked progress il
their education. When this is learned,
and the animal has gained scme idea
of obedience and is thoroughly IA
miliar with his trainer, the real work
begins The lions special qualitie.
are soon discerned and he is set to
learn that speciality for which hh
build and degree of cieverness fits him.
For example, the riding lion, when
about six months old, is put in cage
next to that which contains his special
horse, and the two beasts soon grow
acquainted with each other. They
also have better opportunity, for the
young lion is taken when hardly larger
than a cat and made accustomed to the
horses back. Once this is learned,
the ella boration of the performance is
easier, but so much does the success Of
the trick depend on the accord exist
ing between lion and horse that it has
been found possible only when the
Same lion and the same horse are al.
ways exhibited together. In time the
lion grows too heavy for the horse and
this performance then ceases to be IN
the lions repertoire.
Although lions,grow until they reach
the age of six or seven years, wha,
oC NcA HACo hlit4E lie Is
reached when they are three years old.
At this age, however, they are not vet
perfected III their training. but still
show many infantile traits and seem
TO lack the courage seen in the older
specimens. Almost all the fights with
lions are with the old ones, but a
writer recalls the case of an animal
which, when only eighteen months
old, attacked man in the hippodrolne
at Paris.
Experienced trainers rarely have anv
difficulties with their charges, for to a
watchfuI man, accustomed to the ways
OF the beasts, they rarely fail to give a
warning of an impending outbreak.
They are always obstinate and in
olined to shirh their work and arr,
rather itful in temper This is most
noticeable when they have been too
well fed. for then they object to beipC
disturbed. and if forced to work are
nasty" They are more obedient IN
cool weather; it is found also that they
are apt to sulk if called upon TO per
form too often. The secret OF success
in training Is care IN the diet and zen
eral conditicn of the creatures-N. V.
Post
Odd Place for Piano Factory.
There was a piano factory at Wart-
burp Tenn before tho 49, VvLa -,