The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-02-12
SHINGTRADITI
WILD ANIMALS M CAPTIVITY ARE NOT
DANGEROUS.

James A. Bailey Says Amy One Can safely
Enter and Leave . Gage Hull Of LIENS and
Tigers. and ANY Man Who Knows the
Cues Can Put Them Through Thelr Acts.
Said MIR. James A. Bailey recently:
'It is the general belief all over the
world that q man who goes into q den
OF wild carnivorous beasts takes his life
in his hands, and that each time he
does 50 and escapes unframed he has
won by lucky chance Some persons
believe that IL the trainer who handles
the animals In their acts were to turn
his back upon them for a single instant
they would leap upon and devour him.
Others again believe that the lions and
tigers only wait an opportunity for
concerted action TO destroy their keep
er, while there are still others who de-
Glare that 1t Is only Through the power
OF the human eye that the beasts arc
held in subsection. To all OF these
opinions and beliefs and as q final an
swer to all questions on the subject /
wish to state here and now that there
Ia no danger whatever to any person en-
tering q cage Of wild beasts. Such a
statement, however, will scarce be be-
lieved without some further explana-
tion and proof.
'It 10 q fact that many men have
been MANNED and some killed by lions
and tigers in menageries and geological
gardens throughout the world, but in
every case. / venture to say, the causes
leading to such accidents and deaths
were Of their own making. Unmerited
O too severe punishment is the most
frequent cause. Nearly all animals, no
matter how small and insignificant,
will turn and fight when cornered and in
fear of their lives. A cat will make q
desperate and determined fight If so
placed that it cannot escape from what
it believes is a dangerous enemy. Just
go with larger cat animals. And nearly
all OF the accidents that have occurred
have been brought about by the brutal
ity OF trainers who, having lost temper,
have pursued to extremes an animal
that did not understand what was want
cd OF it. Trainers of the present day,
however, have come to realize this, and
accidents are of rare occurrence. And /
maintain that amy man or woman, an
entire stranger to the animals, can 60
in with them and In perfect safety.
"A case in point comes TO my mind.
A few years agoI employed an innocent
sort OF German to work i'm the menag-
erie, and one OF the first tasks assigned
TO him was cleaning the lions den. In
ako1A nj k01fun 49, 49, 1900 81
working through the bars az custom
airy, he took a broom. opened the iron
door, went in the cage and began to
sweep the floor. When q lion got i'm his
way, he would punch il with the broom
and tell it In German to got away, and
it did 20. The man repeated his expert.
tence every day and was never harmed.
I now make this positive stateEaent-
that III both the handling and training
OF these animals there ID no more dam
ger than attends the training OF, . do
mestic animal. The snarling and growl-
ing OF the beasts are no more indicative
OF q desire TO claw and devour than liz
expressed i'm the bark or snarl OF q ca
nine house pet or the hiss Of q sleek
tabby when its tail Lis stepped upon.
The big brutes may growl and crouch
about their cages, look dangerous and
not ferociously and all that, but / con-
tend. and experience has Taught ma
that my belief is correct, that it il only
through q desire TO escape from the man
rather than TO attack him.
1T takes time and patience, more
than any not i'm the business can
imagine, toperfect the training of these
animals. and every trainer has a meth
cd OF his own. / would further explain
that trained animals will NOT perforHn
the tricks taught them until the cus.is.
given them Even trained horses, which
are supposed to have great intelligence,
will only go through their performances
when the r~ingmascer supplies the cue,
whatever liz may be. Sometimes it ii q
motion of the whip, at others a step
backward or forward, when Instantly
the animal will respond. Now, all that
is necessary for any n to put through
his performances any kind OF trained !
animal or number Of them Id for him to
know when to give the proper cue.
II do not believe the animals know
n trainer from another unless one
has been with them for a long time, for
when some of my trainers have been
taken sick, been discharged or for other
causes have left my service the trained
animal part of my Shove has not been
interrupted. but has gone ON just the
same, q new man having been substitute |
ed, and 10 is safe to say that the ami
mails never knew tho difference between
the men. / have changed the men as Of
ten as five times In q season, and one
man has put the beasts through their
tricks quite as well as another. ANY
person who will enter the arena fear !
lessly and confidently can take the
trainers whip and make the animals
perform as well as q person who has
handled them tot months. provided eli
ways no knows what tricks the beasts
are required tc do and can supply the
cues.
II am aware that this statement may |!
appear to most people extraordinary. be- |