The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-23
TEACHING TRICKS
TO THE ANIMALS
The Long Schooling That Always Pre-
cedes the Fun at the Circus.
WHERE GREAT CARE IS REQUIRED

How the Elephants Are Taught to
Staud ON Bottles..The Old Ones
Learn EasiIy..Wiid Animals Edu.
cation starts in YOuth..HOw
Happy Family is Brought Together.
The Monkeys Love Applause.
The coming of Barnum's circus next
week lends timeliness to an artlcie
which the New York Sun printed the
other day describing how animals are
trained. "People who visit circuses,
the Sun says, and see the trained AMI
mails doing curious things enjoy '1o
spectacle very much, but according 10
the trainers they do not appreciate luilg
what they see. 1t Is little enough that
the trainer has to do in the ring anu
Judging from the fact. the small pcys
ina gine that there would be notnihS
more satisfactory or easier than 10 ieao
the elephants out to dance the couchee-
couchee, stand on the bottle, teeter' OF
do other things amid he plaudits OF the
spectators, but should they see the
trainers in their shirt sleeves, putting
through their PAGES by the hour before
the time of public exhibition.they might
see fewer charms In the spangles.
THE big cats-lions, tigers. pantners
Are best when eighteen months oid 10
begin to train. They then correspond
TO boys of from eight to fifteen years,
and the trainer begins to watch them
carefully. He goes into the cage with
a pair Of them. but has couple OF as
20 ,nlyn
should they get onto the trainers PACK.
At first he gets them used to his pres
ence. He chains them up and gently
rubs their heads. talking sooth!rgiy, as
a mother would to Il child. He keeps
this w for about q week. or perhaps
longer, sometimes less. depending al
together on the animals state of mind.
timid animals being more difficult TO
get along with. The trainer hits the
floor with stick, stamps 1t. and does
other things to get the animal used
to his presence. Meantime he careful
ly observes the general bearing of the
creature He studies the character or
each animal and proceeds according
to what he sees, as q mother with an
impulsive son and another or a back-
ward disposition. He looks at the eyes,
he notices the lines about the mouth,
the cut and hang of the ears, and, i'll
fact, every movement even to the curi
of the waving tail. On the thorough
ness of his study depends the trainers
success. and not seldom. his life. Geo.
Conklin. the elephant specialist, tells
of his friend Herr Lengel, known as the
daredevil of the profession. who was
sprung upon and killed by a tiger which
had been petted beast. This tiger had
waited his opportunity, and as Lengel
turned h.s back to leave the cage the
tiger bit his collar bone in two. They
can't be trusted the trainers say or
even the small wild animals.
EXPERT TESTIMONY.
THE three trainers of large animals,
Winner. Collier, and Conklin, were
asked whether or not the fierce animals
were the best to train. All said that
they preferred the fierce ones. There
was no doubt about them. The fierce
ones licked their chops expire ssively. 50
these men said. and in way that left
no doubt in the mind of trainer when
he entered the cage or arera. You just
give me a chance the tigers seem to
say, III show you. yum! YUM 1t Is the
fawning sneak that gets a chance to
grab q man by the back of the neck, as
in the case of LenZel. Once the tigers
learn that the trainer treats them
gently, soOthes them, and feeds them
chunks of raw meat, they begin to un-
derstand that he Is friend. and then
the training for tricks begins. The two
tigers are made to do various things.
They are driven with bits in their
mouths like colts, and after time are
h!tched to wagons or chariots. They
are taught that goats should not be
killed. but fondled ike kittens. They
are put on to teetering boards and after
many tumblings off learn how to keel
their balance properly.
"The lion which rides q bicycle did
so after three months training. At first
the lion was put onto wagon like the
four-wheeled express trucks used tt
convey trunks and other baggage to the
cars from the baggage room, and pulled
them along by couple Of men. Aftal
the lion had got used to the peculiar
motion II was put onto q twO-wheelet
cart. with small platform for a bed
A pair or rigid handle bars were fast
ened to the ca. ue and the ami.
mails fore paws lsted on these. II
was awkward for the beast at first. bu
after while 1t could keep its place
and then came practice for several days
twice Il day, lasting till the ANNA
showed impatience, when 1t was at CncC
released, and bit of meat was given t(
II as reward. When 1t was put on 6
wheel at last more time was taken, bu'
IN the end the lion was Il wheeler aftel
three months of continuous training
y timid animal is of no use at all. !
cannot he taught to get into unnatura
positions. The fierce animal Is no
timid, hence tiger that would be glat
OF chance to kill its trainer will no
fear the perils Of teetering board. II
fact. some Of them take delight in dan
gerous positions. But the females ar,
at once vicious, stupid. and treacherous
They can he taught to get up onto {
pedestal and n few other simple tricks
but as for the higher class Of tricks
where intelligence Is needed, they ar,
not at all useful.
NOT SOCIABLE.
"All the carnivorous animals are play
ful, leaping at the trainer as II to scar
him. Should he show no signs of fea
they will merely nip his shoulder. bu
there is always in them desire to sucl
the throat blood. When stronger ami
NAL Is TO be put into the happy family
great care must be exercised Take
in the cage where the lions, tiger
goats. etc, are shown together
wouldn't be good policy to put coupl
Of hyenas In with them without an in
PRODUCTION. The animals to he intro
duced are to be put into q room Of tn
cage separated by a good, stout, opel
partition. The animals eye each othe
without shaking hands. as it were, 70