The evening times., 1895-08-22
CAPTURING TIGERS ALIVE.
Experiences OF an Agent In Search of
Specimens.

Experiences of an Agent In Search OF
Specimens.
| The business of replenishDg mena geries
| with wild animals Is interesting, especially
| when the circus agents go directly to the
| haunts of The beasts to capture them alive.
J. b. Gaylord, foreign agent for the Ring
| ling Bros circus, has had some thrilling
experiences in his work. Some time ago
| he wrote the Ringings from Singapore
about n hunt to capture tigers alive.
| Among other things he wrote:
Although the Island of Singapore is
| only fourteen miles in extent, there are
10 less than five hundred tigers that in
| habit its woods, and people here do not
| venture alone beyond the city limits aftel
| Dightfail. The first night OF my arrival
| here, while our ship lay in the harhor, !
could plainly hear the roaring OF the
bloodthirsty beasts as they prowled around
the outskirts of the city in sea rch OF prey.
MIR. de Silva. the native agent, having To-
Gated several tigers trails. we started Oh
foot with about fifty natives the next morn
ing The trip to the first tiger trail was
only three or four miles and we arrived at
this point at about O'Clock.
about twelve feet in length and placed
them in the form Of tTpod, in such Il
position as to bring the point of the tripod
directly above the center of the pit. From
the top of the bamboo sticks some of the
natives suspended live goat by cord
barely strong enough to bear its weight,
and sure to break If the tiger leaped upon
the goat. Everything being in readiness
for Mr.. Tiger, as soon as he chose To go
against our little game, Mr.. de Silva and
myself, as well as the natives repaired to
a hut a bout eighty va rds distant a ndawaited
Developments. 1t had been dark about
an hour, and l began TO think we were
going TO be disappointed, when one of the
natives rushed into the hut, crying, Lend
beshnla.'
.'The furious cries OF the tiger had
startled him as with terrific roar it sprang
upon the suspended goat, and, guing down
with its burden, sank into the nlerciiess
pit prepared for it, Igniting a number of
torches bot1 IL light the way and to forestall
any attack that might possibly be made
upon US from wild animals, we proceeded
in a body to the pit. The rnars OF the tiger
were awful, as he furiously tried to leap
upward to gain his freedom. AS l have
already explained to you, the sides of the
pit slanted inward toward the top, and at
every effort the tiger could be heard strik
ing his nose against the loose earth.
This frantic behavior was kept up for
about an hour, when, entirely exhausted,
the fierce king of the jungle lay perfectly
quiet at the bottom of the pit Two of the
natives now lowered a bamboo basket
down into the pit, letting the open side
fall directly over the supine form of the
ti-cr. immediately after this a number of
natives jure2eI into the pit and began
crowding rattan withes through the sand
beneath tine tiger and brin Sing them around
the basket. In this manner the tiger was
in few minutes completely enclosed 10
the bamboo basket.
Returning to the hut, we awaited the
dawn, and as soon as it appeared the ma
tives weat back to the pit and lifted the
basket containing the tiger ont of it. We
detailed ten of the coolies to take our cap
tive to the city. Before they started took
look at our prize through the rata n
withes. He was ma Snificient specimen,
but the sorriest-looking tiger 1 ever saw.
He was covered with blood from his frau
tic efforts to get out of the pit, aud the
skin was peeled from his nose and face,
while the eyes were almost entirely closed
by the swollen face. San Francisco
Chronicle