Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-09-26
TANNING WILD BEASTS
THE QUALITIES THAT ARE ESSENTIAL
IN A TRAINER.

FE SONlt liCO TN FNENG @SS@'N -
IN A TRAINER.
Calls For Something More Than
Mere Courage-The Trainer Uses n
Chair, but Not to Sit On.
The wild beast tanner as generally
pictured is a mysterious person who
stalks about sternly In high boots and
possesses a remarkable power Of the
eye that makes lions and tigers quail
at his look and shrink away. He rules
by fear, and the crack Of his whip is
supposed to bring memories Of tortur-
ing points and redhot irons.
Such is the story book lion tanner,
and | may as well say at once that out
side of story books he has small exist
ence. There is scarcely any truth IN
this theory of hate for hate and con-
quest by fear. 1t is no more fear that
makes a lion walk on a ball than II Is
fear that makes horse pull wagon.
1t Is habit The lion Is perfectly will
ing TO walk on the ball, and he has
reached that mind. not by cruel treat
ment, but by force of his trainers pa
tience and kindness and superior intel
ligence.
OF course, a wild beast tanner should
have a quick eye and delicate sense Of
hearing so that he may be warned or
a sudden spring at him or rush from
behind. and 1t Is important that he be
a sober man, for alcohol breaks the
nerve or gives false courage worse
than folly, but the quality on which he
must chiefly rely and which alone can
make him n great tamer-nOt second
rate bungler-is a genuine fondness for
his animals.
This does not mean that the animals
will necessarily be fond Of the tanner;
some will be fond of him, some will be
Indifferent to him, some will fear and
hate him. Nor will the trainers fond
ness protect him from fang and claw.
We see that there is danger always, ac-
cident often, but without the fondness
hObIh DI SAtAtCA b"u6Ni sAAAN
more frequent accident. A fondness
for lions and tigers gives sympathy for
them. and understanding gives mastery
VI rHrri' Ur as nIucn inasrvry as pus-
keep IA tani-f constantly with MS ant
mails, not only in the public show the
easiest part, but in the dens, in the
treacherous runaway, in the strange
night hours, in the early morning
romp7 when no one IS looking, when
there is no reason for being with them
except the tanners own JOY in it?
l do not purpose to present in detail
the methods Of tanning wild beasts,
rather what happens after they are
tanned: but | may say that a lion
tanner always begins by yspending weeks
or months in gaining q new animars
confidence.
Day after day he will stand for long
time outside the cage, merely looking
at the lion, talking TO him, impressng
upon the beast n general familiarity
with his voice and person. And each
time, as he goes away, he is careful
to toss n piece of meat as a pleasant
ueneulO Ol HIS WISH.
Later he ventures inside the bars
carrying some simple weapon-a wnIp,
rod, perhaps a broom, which is more
formidable than might be supposed,
through the jab Of its sharp bristles.
One tanner used a common chair with
much success against unbrokeu lions.
II fha %
the four legs In his face, and soon the
chair came to represent boundless
power to that ignorant lion. He feared
1t and hated it, as was seen on one
occasion when the tanner left it in the
cage and the lion promptly tore it into
splinters.
Days may pass before the lion will
let his tanner do more than merely
stay inside the cage at a distance Very
well; the tanner stays there. He waits
hour after hour, week after week, until
a time comes when the lion will let
him move nearer, will permit the touch
OF his hand, will come forward for q
piece Of meat, and at last treat him like
friend, so that finally he may sit
there quite at ease and even read his
newspaper, as one man did
Lastly begins the practice Of tricks.
The lion must spring to pedestal and
be fed, he must jump from one pedestal
to another and be fed, must keep q GER
tain pose and be fed. A bit Of meat is
always the final argument, and the
tanner wins Qf he wins at all, for he
sometimes falls) by patience and kind
ness.
There is no use getting angry with
a lion," said well known tanner to me,
"and there is no use In carrying a re-
vOlver. If you shoot a lion or injure
him with any weapon, 1t IS your loss, |
for you must buy another Hon, and the |
chances are that he VIII kill you any
way, il he starts to do it.. The thing Is |
to keep him from starting. g."-Cleveland |
Moffett in st. Nicholas.