The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1903-07-22
Most Difficult Of All Ami.
! mails to Conquer NO Such
OThias as a 'Tamed Tiger"
How He is Trained. ......

awaiting another attack.
That is the lesson for one day, pre.
ceding catnip and raw hunk OF
meat, and while dIgesting splinters
and the meat%he animal ponders over
the queer experiences he has had with
the friend Of the queer man. That he
does ponder over the situation is shown
BY the fact that the next day when
another chair is placed inside the cage
no attack is made on It. Instead, the
puzzled tiger walks around and around
1t, smiling at It finally, and then lies
down In corner, content IL not happy
Mt any old intrusion the queer man may
wish to infiict. +,
1t is only then that the trainer ven.
lures inside the cage armed with the
yellow wand and blacksnake whip.
In these latter days of progress an in.
genious woman tiger trainer. with
more regard for twentieth century lux
ury than the history of her profession,
used what Is known as an ammonia
gun in teaching the tiger lesson.
The gun was simply a rubber ball
supplied with nozzle out of which
| VI COuIu DO
squirted by pressing the ball.
1t is the blacksnake whip, however.
upon which the real tiger trainer de.
ponds, rather than a solution of am.
monla to get into the eyes and nose
| of the splendid animal As he enters
the cage for the first time to fight the
attack which is certain to be made the
| man carries with him n peculiar
weapon considering the nature of the
expected encounter-a wooden chair Of
the kind first used I'm introducing the
tiger to the elements Of civilization.
Surprised beyond action by the In.
trusion Of the man the tiger at first
scouts listlessly to corner of the cage
to await what he thinks Is going to be
an attack. For all Of FIVE minutes he
may be before he takes the initiative,
the trainer watching sharply and ex-
pecting every moment the terrific on
slaught which will mean life or death.
Everything in that climax of the tigers
education depends upon the trainers
pluck and swiftness. If he wins the
brute Is conquered once and for all,
practically; If he fails, 1t remains for
assistants outside the cage to help him
in his fight with pitchforks and to get
him out Of the clutches of the mad.
dened animal as best they can.
1t is when the tiger crouches. ready
for the spring which invariably pre-.
cedes his attack. that the trainer is
on the edge as to the outcome. Watch
ing closely without directly facing the
animal the man stands. The next in.
slant there is giant, yellow body
shooting through the air. Before It
can land the man has jumped aside.
thrown his chair full Mt the head Of
the wild beast and brings down his
blacksnake whip with cut that would
draw blood from the hide of an OK.
Then 1t IL time to beat retreat and
to give the tiger time to eat the chair
and to consider, as before.
Not until the day following, when the
lesson has been digested, does the same
continue. For a week or ten days It
may be necessary almost daily to re-
peat the dangerous experiment with
the chair and the blacksnake whip.
At the end of that time the tiger has
othtT thluSS, TWO. III
the first place. unless he begins the
attack the man will not hurt him, and
in the second, do what he may. the
intruder Is his superior in cunning and
defense, for he can cut ike a knife
and see, as no enemy of tigers can,
from the back of his head. Under the
1t is necessary to be-
gin truce.
In time the man and the chair may
enter the den with impunity. though
here Is still another fight due when
he man attempts to sit in the chair.
, Familiarity which no tiger will allow
in his presence unless he is
a.lght that he has to.
The battle between the puny man
md the blacksnake whip on the one
'ide and the tiger on the other has
aiken up to this point about three
weeks ut least, but now 1t is practically
inished. Finished. at least, as much
IS 1t ever can be in the case of
iger.
or all tigers none Is probably less
liffiuclt to train than the big, fine.
siberian chap. the most gOrgeously
marked of all the tiger family. and ON
he whole the most powerful. With
Is enormous size there seems to be
the slightest trace of good
allure. common In most big things.
nd this comes to the aid of the
rainer In clvillzing the king Of cold
st Russia.
OF the real Indian man-eating type
{ tiger there is but one trained speci.
len in exlstence-that In Ceylon, In
la. One of the tamest of the man
ating tigers Is to be found right In
his city at The Central Park menag-
rie. Only Keeper BILLY" Snyder has
yer veDtured in the cage of the big
indian, and then only when the brute
nd been first hound and made help
'ss. but from the outside Of the cage
ie big cat delights in being petted
nd rubbed and scratched by the keep
IS as they pass and repass daily In