The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-20
INSTINCT Of
WILD ANIMALS
Cat-Like Animals Fond of
Their Young
KINDNESS WINS THEM
May Kill Young but If So Is
Crazy

"Catlike animals are not as bad as some
man the other evening, as he refilled his
pipe 1T is very seldom they hurt any
body who is kind TO them. he added.
and the idea that they do not care for
their young is all fol-de-rol.
Once in a long while a lioness will kill
her young, but nine times out of ten, il
you are in the way of knowing. you will
find the old dame is about half crazy and
is just as apt to hurt herself if not sharp
ly watched. The tiger IS a high-strung
animal and when her young are about her
she is hard to handle and apt to go mad,
if there is much noise or excitement
around her den She is a good mother.
though. and ticks and scrubs and hugs
her little ones with the keenest satisfac-
ton. The youngsters shift for themselves
early. and will romp and play like pedi-
gree supply.
Il used to let the cubs out in an exer-
cising pen. where they would frisk and
play all day with half dozen young fox
terriers. So long as the youngsters are
withoin sight and sound. the mother til
gress is as serene as a pet pig, but if she
should fail TO see or hear them, she
makes a terrific uproar, and / believe
would knock her brains out against the
bars if not relieved
Like the human mother, when night
draws near the tigress wants her OFF,
spring at home and tucked close by her.
l once cared for a fine-looking tigress
called Beauty. and she was tOuchingly
motherly. She had two young tigers, but
one took cold and died. eBtween her and
the spared one there was a remarkable
attachment When the younsster got big
enough TO enjoy the usual menagerie diet
for his kind he was separated from hts
mother. / never saw animal show
more grief than that mother. The poor
thing dropped like wet rag. She usually
held her head high. and her neck was
the shapeliest l ever saw.
After the rugged yOungster was taken
away her face became the picture of sor-
row and her whole manner was listless
and hopeless. Her sparkling eyes became
duh. her neck shriveled. and her tail
hung like that of a wooden hobby-horse.
l finally made the men bring the little one
back TO its mother l wish you could have
seen the meeting. l thought the old lady
would go daffy. For the first time in two
weeks she jumped around as if she had
an electric battery under her. and she
Tapped and fondled the submissive young
ster. just is if he were midget of a baby
whose eyes had not opened yet. For
weeks. whenever any one went near the
den OF the tigress and her pride she put
lid 90 o,- nd oil
and snarled fercely, as much as to say
that the fellow who again took her cub
from her would have to do it over her
senseless body.
Now the noness likes her little ones
just as much as the tigress. but she is
not so snowy about it. Lion cubs are gen.
tie and make friends with people quicker.
The lioness is not so jealous of these at
tentions as the tigress. She will play with
her cubs and put up with whole lot of
bother from them when in drowsy mood
without getting ugly.
when the cubs are quite SMALL she is
cranky about any one touching them and
if they are taken away from her at this
time she is apt to lose faith in her keeper
and turn into a bad tempered beast for all
time. For this reason she and her little
ones are left alone until the youngsters
are weaned and get big enough TO be
scrappy among themselves and trouble
some to their parent. After the cubs reach
this growth and are taken away it does
not seem in the least TO bother the lioness
mother. She probably reasons that she
looked after them until they are big
enough to shift for themselves, and there
her duty ends.
1T is a strange sight to see playful
party of young tigers. lions. and dogs,
They wrestle. race, and frolic with the
utmost good nature. and until they are
pretty well grown and their savage traits
begin to assert themselves they are in
separable friends. have seen them play
follow the leader" ard once l saw a
foolish lion cub Try 10 climb a narrow up
right beam in this game.
The tiger cub did the trick easily. and
the Hon cub got quite well up and then
fell on the sharp edge OF a barrel. II tore
his leg and he bIed quite little The
tigress cub and the fox TERROR both lap
ped his face. while the young one stretch
ed out fat and gave every sign OF being
comfortable
Then the little lion got up and limped
to his den. half supported by the little
tigress on one side and the fox TERROR on
the Other. The mother lion had scented
some evil and was rearing terrihcally-
When her little one was put through the
small door at the end OF the cage the fox
TERROR jumped In too. and 81 was beau
t:f1il SIGHT 10 see tn mother Iioness show
her gratitude = The little dog Tor his at
tention 10 her rurt baby. Meanwhile the
cub tiger howled dismaIiy. as II pleading
with the keeper 20 Jet him join his young
friends
Another time while this happy family
Of animal kids was rOmping about the
animal barn. Nibsey- 2 nIrnhle fox TERROR.
who spent most q hts time playing with
the cat cubs had his foot hurt b. pony
stepping or Il Nibsey set up a great
yelping and Topped on his side as II he
had been shot I thought Mis- was good
deal n a cheat ard vas cotrting syn
psthy. Wen. anyway n got Il this time
in fu1 measure Tor TIE way those crazy
little cubs Tapped and carressed and comb
81 this hoNIing dog was caution I
Looked az thu dogs foot and saw nothing
serious vas the matter and made believe
- put ininent OF q rag with which
banSaEe6 II The isftie rascal lay stui
few minutes with has four frieHss sitting
tsrouni him, aid then he got up larueiy.
IA x il pair. Just as ] expected. in Eve
minutes more they were going head ever
bees down tha szEdust soor. t-yfug %
crab a rolling ball
The mother elephant - SIT 81 her
--o-,-v 80 ur5fI eddie .h- Istrss one uusa