The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-05-29
HAPPY LIFE IN THE CIRQUE.
Wild Animals Grow More Gentle
in Their Captivity.

in the narrow quarters of a cage. The
~unknow.ng person will tell YOU that
this ann be. that animals born in
a Wild state must pine away when
their liberty is taken away. This idea
looks good and sentimentaIly is all
right, but somehow the facts at hand
do not bear out this theory. Instead
Of getting thin and dangerously
cranky. the Wild creatures round out
and their natures grow gentle. No
doubt the good treatment they receive
has much to do with this. It must
be something 70 them to be sure of
ample food every day and to find a
soft place TO lie down without fear
LOT an enemy. Unable to run at large
land living a daily life with little or
mo exciting change, one might think
they would become mOrose and I'M
lovabIe, if not insane. The animal
man says they adapt themselves 70
the new conditions and before long in
vent ways and means Of amusing
themselves.
Everyone knows that elephants are
more or less frolicsome, big as they
| 14S, III pin 'UI q ~ VI AN-A '-NA
each Other. The cat tribe is a greedy
lot and fight among themselves at
feeding time, but after the meal is
over they mingle with good humOr
and seldom bear grudges. These ami
mails are given a neck piece Of beef
that contains a bone and the beasts
are obliged TO tear the meat off slowly
and in small pieces. They are forced
10 chew it and in consequence there
is not a case of dyspepsia among them.
When they have finished with the bone
it has the shine of a billiard ball and
to see a group of IeOpards or tigers
toss one of these bones from one to
the other in playful spirit is a most
interesting sight. They undoubtedly
have our this an amusing pastime
and seldom miss the tossed bone,
which is quickly passed from mouth to
mouth.
TIGERS PLAY LEAPFROG.
Another way the cats have of anus
ing themselves is to play what the
boys call Ieapfrog. One will stand rig
idly upright and all the others will
jump over his back. Sometimes two
stand side by side, and at Ringing
Bros. 'menagerie winter quarters, in Il
big exercising barn used by the lions
and tigers. as many as six were seen
10 line up side by sid for the rest to
jump over. Sometimes these beasts
I have actual wrestling matches. They
stand away from each other. erect
upon their hind legs and spar with
their f~orepaws for an opening. When
they clinch it is in deadly earnest, ap-
5 parentIy. and the weaker animal never
= lets go until he is fiattened on the
broad of his back. after the style OF
human wrestlers.
Even hyenas. about rs u~npreposSess-
=. ing looking animals as one could find,
run and jump and dance in company
with each other as if their Sowing
: faces hideously belied their real ma
ture. \ big rubber ball was given
; to a pair of them recently by a kindly
disposed person. and the way they took
: hold of it for playful purposes was in
= teresting in the extreme. They haC
been confined together for severa,
. years and amused themselves by twist,
{ ing and jumping and turning, but IN,
. til the big rubber BAH came into theil
: lives. they never SHOWED anything Xix
the same spirit of happiness. Instead
: of tearing it to pieces as one Nigh
: AIlIdSl44C Nob4O DC liz NS%N' NHNS 'ON
u as if they instictively knew its pur
pose and at once began to share it:
s pleasure. It evidently filled a long
e feIt want in their mOnotOnouS lives.
d AMUSEMENT OF BEARS.
I Bears are ungainly creatures, but il
their numbering way they find amuse
ment that serves to tighten the bur
dens of captivity. Young bears ar
as playful as kittens. This is the in
stinct OF all young. The big fellow
d delight in wrestling and in charging 4
each other. sometimes with the pitcl
l. of a football halfback. Rounde
: sticks. somewhat thicker and longe
than a broom handle, were put into
- cage of four handsome adult bears an
d in a very little time they had learne
IF To hold them firmly n foundk eenes
Q delight in slashing each other like tw
Z. f~encarS. The sticks generally clashe
= and seldom got 10 the head or bod.
= which looked as if they had some sens
of the fencing art. At all events the
le handled them smartly and seemed t
p enjoy the sport.
n In a hippopotamus den there is
tank of water as well as a dry pla'
NJ form. so that the big fellow can wa
IL. low 10 his hearts content in his favorit
W element and hen sun himself on II
Id beach. To see him urn his heav
- body over on his back and slide dow
from his dry perch into the water is
funny sight and not ~infrequently !
1t. comes up 20 the surface feet first ar
~ then wrigsles heavily a. if the difficu
pos ton. the few seconds it lasts befo,
ne turns over. was rare fun. tt
81 Ef--'f-- Er1-hars have : hiDDo0a.
a.
ds mus that has a habit of standing {
hi lis head IN the water and kicking !
rs heels above the surface. a good de
Cy like the bows in 4 swimming noo1.
MONKEYS ALWAYS CHEERFUL
NJ. Monkeys have a repertory OF pa
Ike times 10 while away their days in ca.