The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-10-11
ANIMALS soft SNAP"
Rinqiinq's Man Talks of Life of Circus

I
| Ringiing's Man Talks of Life of Circus
| Beasts.
James ]. Brady, Ringling's special press
agent, said yesterday IN talking to re-
! porter for the Eagle:
1t is hard 10 understand how wild ami
mails can build up and be happy in the
narrow quarters of a cage. The I'M
I knowing person will tell you that this can
not be; that animals born in a wild state
must pine away when their liberty is
taken away. This idea looks good. and
sentimentality is all right. but somehow
the facts at hand do not bear out this
theory.
Instead of getting thin and dangerous
ly cranky, the wild creatures round out
and their natures grow gentle. No doubt
the good treatment they receive has much
to do with this. 1t must be something TO
them to be sure of ample food every day
and TO find soft place to lie down with
out fear of an enemy. Unable to run az
large. and living daily life with little
or no exciting change, one might think
they would become morose and ENJOYABLE.
if not insane. The animal man says they
adapt themselves to the new conditions
and before long invent ways and means
of amusing themselves.
Every one knows that elephants are
more or less frolicsome. big as they are.
and pick out a lot of fun with each
other. Members of the cat tribe are a
greedy lot and will fight among them
selves at feeding time. but after the
meal is over they mingle with good humor
and seldom bear grTdges. These animals
are given a neck piece of beef that con-
tains a bone and the beasts are obliged
to tear the meat off slowly and in small
pieces They are forced to chew it and
in consequence there is not case OF
dyspepsia among them.
When they have finished with the bone
it has the shine Of a billiard ball. and 10
see a group of leopards or tigers toss
one of these bones from one to the other
in playful spirit IS a most interesting
sight They undoubtedly have found this
an amusing pastime and seldom miss the
tossed bone, which is quickly passed
from mouth to mouth.
Another way the cats have of amusing
themselves is to play what the boys call
leap-frof. One will stand rigidly up
right and all the others will jump over his
back. Sometimes two stand side by side,
and at Ringing Bros. menagerie winter
quarters. in big barn used by the lions
and tigers. as many as six were seen to
line up side By side for the rest TO jump
over Sometimes these beasts have act
uaI wrestling matches. They stand away
from each other, erect upon their hind
legs. and spar with their fore-paws for
an opening When they clinch 1t is in
deadly earnest. apparently. and the weak
er animal never lets 90 until he IS fat
tened on the broad OF his back, after the
style of human wrestlers-
Even hyenas. about as unprepossess-
ing looking animals as one could find. run
and jump and dance in company With
each other as II their scowling faces I'D
eously belied their real natures. A big
rubber bah was given to a pair OF them
recently By kindly disposed person and
the way they took hold Of it for playful
purposes was interesting in the extreme.
They had been confined together for sew
eral years and amused themselves b.
twisting and jumping and turning. but
until the big rubber bah came into their
lives they never showed anything ike
the same spirit Of happiness. Onstead Of
tearing il TO pieces. as one might im-
acine would be the case. they acted as II
they instInctlveiy knew its purpose and
at once began to share its pleasure Il
evidently sled a long felt want IN their
ruonotonous lives.
Bears are ungainIy creatures. bni ~
their numbering way they hnG snarise-
meat that serves 10 Iightea the burdens
az csptivity. Young besrs are 81 piayf
as kittens. The big fellows delight IN
wrestling ard charging az each other.
sometimes with the pitch OF 4 football
halfbaciz Rounded sticks. someEAat
thicker and longer than a broom handle.
were put blia a cage q four haasisslrls
nG7llt bears. ard "a very little Sine they
had I.arned 10 hold thrn firmly aud
found kesnsst delight n siashins each
other ike tsro fencers. The sticks geuer-
aIfv cIssrer asa sei60un got - t,fe bead or
toav. uhlch ioolssi as n they had some
sense II the fencing ART a all events.
they handIed the-a snzrtiY AID seezEass-
70 ensoy ihe suoTt
IN q hlppepofazaus der there IS tank
of zzr.r as well as dry Tlstf0rrn- -
that TIE Tx fellow can va.io~ 20 ~
hearts eout1nt - rs faTorise e4szaei-'
ard theu sna hln.relf On the bach To
see hin turu h5s heavY body 0Tsr ~ his
back ard slide doEn from ~ asF sfSFa
into ire zater Is q fEnzy s'ssst- asa nft
snfrecuensly be oouss e tAs srrfzoe FEE:
frsf ard ts.ea vTieE5ss hsavAg- - = i1e
dlncuit posifsoa. The fsE SECONDS = lasia
before ~ fsrrs osez. --as Tase faz- de
Ringing Bres hare hiDsg7otzrEgs 'iiat
has a hablt u stanalEg a. ~ bad -
the water ard kicking So hzsia aa,ess tae
surface. a god zeal ike tsoys ia a ssiza-