Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-06-21
8E5M;
MANICURING A TIGER.

TN relieve "Dick," the big Bengal
tiger in the Central Park men,
L ageries, Of two ingrowing nails
on his right forepaw, ''Bill' .Sny-
der. the chief keeper, performed one
of the most difficult and hair-raising
operations in his long experience with
captive animals. The manicuring was
required to relieve the tiger of great
pain and l%anreness, from which he had
been suffering for several weeks. It.
forced him to walk on three legs, and
every time he struck the sore paw
against the bars or fioor of his cage he
would roar and startle all the other
tigers. lions and panthers near by, who
would roar back i'll sympathy.
Snyder found the operation the more
difficult because Dick hates him,
why he cannot tell. When Snyder APP
proacheS his cage. even with food,
"Dick" snarls and growls at him, and
keeps this up until Snyder goes out Of
sight. But Snyder, as the chief keeper,
had to perform the operation upon his
enemy. He had five other keepers to
help him. and they were all tired be-
fore they finished.
When the six keepers approached his
cage. Dick retreated to the innermost
corner. He backed against the wall,
lashing his tail, and snarled at them.
Snyder climbed on top of the cage, with
a moose of inch manila rope, and
crawled Over to a point over 'Dick's"
head. The big tiger watched every
movement, but he could not spring
at the keeper with his lame paw; so
he squatted on the floor, and snarled
and spat at the man.
Snyder lowered the moose toward
'Dick." his purpose being to get it
over the tigers head and shoulders,
so that the other keepers could drag
him to the front of the cage. In spite
of his lame paw, h beast eluded be-
ing lassoed for fifteen minutes. When
the rope touched him, he knocked it
away with his good left forepaw, and
spoiled Snyder's efforts for a long time.
AT last the keeper got the moose oveT
the tigers head and left forepaw, and
drew it tight. 1t didn't choke Dick"
but it made his left forepaw useless,
mo he could do little with the lame
right paw.
With the moose fast. Snyder passed
the end of it to the five assistants.
They dragged Dick" to the front Of
the cage. He fought hard not to go,
and chung to every crack in the stone
floor of his cage with his hind paws,
growing and roaring nightly. All the
other animals became highly excited,
and roared and growled in q great
chorus.
The stout rope held, and "Dick" had
to 20. The keepers were too strong
for him, and at last they drew him to
the front bars of the cage, and held
him so that his sore paw protruded
through the four-inch space between
the stone floor and the cross bar from
| which the upright bars rise. Then
Snyder performed the operation. He
used no dainty m~anicuring implements
for the work. no perfumed water, nor
files, nor anything to make the opera
ton pleasant. "Dick" was then in a
| state of mind that made him unable
to appreciate such luXuries. Instead,
Bill used a large, strong pair Of steel
nippers. and extracted the nails. while
the tiger snarled a few inches only
from his face. Snyder soaked the
tigers paw with antiseptic. and then
loOsed the moose. "Dick" released him
self. and darted back on his three good
legs to the back of his cage. He be-
gan licking the paw, thus dressing his
own wound, and he ought to recover
completely.
During the operation the menagerie
was in an uproar, the only animals not
excited being the hippopotami, al
though their tank is near Dicks
cage. 1t had been feared that the in
growing nails would cause BLOOD
poisoning and kill the animal. He il
one of the largest and finest tigers il
captivity, and Mr.. Smyth, the director
did not want to lose him. He hat
never been "roped" before, nor touched
/ in any way, since he was put into tn
cage.-New York Evening Post.