The herald., 1895-07-24
HOW LIONS ARE tanned.

According to Herr Hagen beck the
Snowman, the tanners of wild beasts use
no secret methods or magic spells. In
fact. they proceed very much as child
would in tanning wild kitten. tN
If non is to be taught to ride on
horseback it is necessary to be very pa
tient at first. and take great deal OF
time. If possible, it is best to begin
when he is young-less than a year old.
If he was born in captivity, he 10 al
ready accustomed to see persons outside
his cage. but not inside. All his in
stincts are still fierce.
When the tanner first enters the cage
door and steps inside, the younester at
once displays fear. He will probably
jump at the trainer, snarling savagely;
for that is his way of showing alarm.
The only course that can be pursued 10
to beat him off with light club the
first lesson he learns Is thst it is not safe
to attack man. Sometimes in his excite.
ment and fear, he will make several at
tacks. one after che other, The trainer
merely beats him off, and in the end the
young liSp 1etires, snarling, to the far
Tne trainsr does not follow him, but
sits down quietly on box or chair,
inside the cage, paying no particular at
tention to him. He sits there for an hour
Or two hours, sometimes three hours at
a stretch. This is done to accustom the
and to wear out his natural fear and
ierceness. This first lesson is repeated
on the following day and is continued for
week or perhaps a month.
Next. the trainer takes a piece OF meat
into the cage. and waiting until the lion
is hungry, offers it on the end of long
stick. Very likely the lion will not touch
1t at first perhaps not for many days; or
if he seizes il. his manner will not be
such as to indicate thankfulness. But by
patience and persistence, he will BIZ i'm
duced by-and-by to coma and take his
food from. the stick, and eventually from
the trainers hand. Not intrequentiy
he will try to bite the hand that offers the
meat; and generally speaking,it Is DEEM
ed signal victory when young lion
will voluntarily approach and take his
food from the keepers hand. Soon after
mis- head. Toward stranger he may ex-
hibit quite as much ferocity as at first.
The next step is to put chain round
the young fellows neck and lead him
about the cage eand most trainers deem it
necessary to bind a lion down to the
into his naturally intractable mind the
fact that human bonds are irresistible and
that chains cannot be broken.
The various feats which 20 to make up
modern performing lions education are
afterward taken up one by one and taught
lie Only SeCrcCS tudb uerI
Hagen nbeck knows are endless patience
and oft-repeated lessons. Needless cruelty
is always avoided nevertheless it is nec-
essary that lions. as we'll as tigers leo
pards and most other wild beasts should
hold their Keepers IN fear. Gentleness
and kindness alone are not sufficiens;
these fierce animas must be made to know
that their trainer is absolutely master.
1t should be added that there is almost,
or quite. as much difference in young Ii
ons as in boys. Some are much more do
cile and intelligent than others. Some de-
velop good and trustworthy traits; others
prove stolid, and can never be fully
trusted.