Arizona republican., 1903-07-24
THEY ARE WELL CROOKED
Care Taken With Toilet of Animals s
 in henagerie.

to keep it is another" said Pearl Sou der, Of Ringlings' circus, an authority on such things. Elephants look dirty because of a habit they have of toss ing soft soil and straw over their backs but they are not. No human beings skin gets more attention than the hides Of these big animals. They are brushed and scrubbed time and again each day Twice a year they get real Turkish bath, and this process is a slow one, taking nearly a month, and keeps half a dozen men busy, It may be that this intending grooming makes their hides sensitive and the dirt and straw throwing is natures relief. The polar bear is douched each day with icy cold water to keep him trim look ing and amiable. The hippOtamus is scrubbed like a kitchen floor twice week All wild animals are anxiously looked after in this way by men who know their nature and the way of making them appear with their best foot forward.
 Take tke circus horse. Scarcely a society belle could spend more time up- on her toilet than expert grooms be- stow upon these high-stepping animals. In caring for the wild animals of the menageries the methods are usually secret and guarded jealously by each keeper. Tn the case of jungle beasts there is an element of danger which gives fascination to the work.
 Tt was a curious and interesting sight to sec the animals at Ringing Bros. winter quarters at Baraboo, Wis, undergoing their toilet there be fore breaking camp for the circus sea sen. ID go over a herd of elephants such as Ringing Bros. have in this way takes ten or twelve weeks. Thou sands of square feet of hide must be completely cleaned and softened. Of course, these big beasts are washed during the winter at short intervals, but the animals toilet just before the show leaves is more elaborate and serious undertaking.
 Tn order to keep the skin soft and clean it is first carefully oiled. The oil is rubbed well into the hide, and as a rule six or eight men are set to work on the same animal. The oil is ap- piled with swabs of cotton waste and thoroughly worked in. Some of the mcn attack the elephants legs, while others climb ladders and rub the upper reaches of the huge back. A keeper stands beside the elephants trunk with hooked stick, ready for any emergency. Should the elephant kick up in any way the ladders would be overturned and the oily back would be bad holding for those on top. After the elephant is massaged with oil he is left alone for a couple of weeks. The next treat ment consists of a thorough scrubbing By this time the hardened layers are ready to come off.
 The last treatment consists in sand papering the entire surface. The hide, first softened by oiling and massage and afterward cleaned, is likely to still remain rough. Of all the operation this sandpapering is the most tedious. At best it proceeds very slowly. As many men as can work about the ele- plant without getting in each others way are detailed to sandpaper the same animal. They attack its legs. the trunk, even its ears, all rubbing vigorously. Again the ladders are brought out and leaned against the ele- phant, while workmen perch themsel- yes upon its back or the top of its head and proceed to smooth out the wrin- | kles. When this is complete the ele- phant comes forth to all outward sp- l pearances as good as new.
 "The manicuring of an elephants great toes is an art in itself. The old adage that one can tell a gentleman | by his finger nails is true in a limited | sense of wild. animals. No well groom ed elephant appears in public without his nails carefully trimmed. If you | look closely at the elephants foot you will see that the nail of each foot is | covered with a skin growing far down
 not unlike that of a human finger. Ir
 a we'll kept elephant the skin is trim
 med and pressed back as much as ones | fingers. The nail itself is carefully l filed down to the proper length. II
 should never be cut.
 ''The rhinoceros is tied down every
 two weeks and receives an oil bath, the | keeper applying neatsfoot Cil with 2 stiff brush. The Ringing specimen o | this rarest of all wild animals is not ! more than three or four years old, ant
 requires the greatest of care because
 in spite of this tOughness of hide anC
 general appearance, he is hard to keel
 alive in captivity.
 Monkeys require more attention
 than they are worth. They must b, cleaned and brushed and the worT | spots of their fur covered up. as only
 a wild animal dealer knows how. l they look weak or sickly they mus | be doctored, and the animal hOspita
 of the winter quarters has usually ; full complement of monkey invalids Snakes call for good deal of groom ing. An expert can tell the health O
 snake usually by looking at his skin The good appearance of a snake de
 bends a whole lot on washing and oi massaging.
 Strange as it may seem, lions ar'
 not hard to fix up in the way of toilet Of course. care must be taken that tho water is not too cold, because lions arC sensitive to cold and apt to go off witi galloping consumption. Hyenas anC black leoparGs are ugly brutes anC
 don't take kindly to the water The!
 have to be roped down and muzzled il order to give them the necessary per