The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-06-17
DISSERTATION ON TIGERS
COMPARED TO HUMANS
Ringing Brothers Has g Crowd of Little Ones
 With Their Circus.

"The baby tiger is like baby hu-
 man, it is on the go most of the time,
 and now and then nature steps in and
 makes him sleep" The talker was a
 man who had spent his life as a care
 taker of wild animals. T have now in
 my charge three kittens that look as
 If they would live to upset the theory
 that tigers cannot be raised in capti-
 Witty In the day time they are like
 purring kittens when fondled and made
 much of, and the mother, a handsome
 creature, does not seem to worry over
 these attentions. You know, the tig-
 ress has suspicious nature and is apt
 to go off suddenly. When babies come
 Tn to her care, she is worse than ever,
 and 1t is just as well to keep out of her
 reach, even though she lie still and
 doesn't snarl. The reason why she
 does the unnatural thing of eating her
 little ones, at times, Is because of fear
 that they may be taken away from her,
 while still helpless, She is much more
 fond of her babies than the lioness,
 and worries about them longer. When
 lion cubs get big enough to shift for
 themselves, the mother becomes indif-
 ferent. She acts as if she had cherish
 ed them so long as 1t was her due. un
 til they get big and knowing enough 10 shift for themselves, and that was
 all that could be expected The tig-
 ress is a more sensitive animal in
 every way. When her babies get big
 enough to hop about safely and play,
 she is picture of good feeling, but
 if they get out of her sight or hearing
 then her worrying nature comes to the
 top and she becomes so wildly anxious
 that nothing will soothe her until the
 little ones are restored. These three
 youngsters are of more pride to me
 than anything in Ringing Brothers
 menagerie. That they sleep soundly
 and often is a great comfort. That
 they rotnp and wrestle and fool play a
 good deal of the time every day is the
 same. When a boy or girl is full of energy and bounces round about, it
 doesn't take a doctor to read that he
 IS sound and growing. You can spell
 the health of wild animal in the same
 Way Tigers are bundle of nerves, and like nervous people, they must fid- get and twitch .and so on, like all pos sessed And like the Same kind of a human being, they are easily upset by bad weather and unpleasant people mean by unpleasant people, those that do not appeal to them, You know there are a lot in the world of this kind when you come to consider the feel ings of nervous or highly sensitive hu- mans. The way to bring up baby wild animals is pretty much the same way that you bring up baby humans When you find a boy or girl that jumps around and raises merry Ned all day, and worries his grandma almost to death you can bet that he is in the way of making man with plenty of get up and go, and who will hold his own In the, rough scramble of the world. When a baby tiger or a baby lion jumps around and shows play full interest in things, a keeper takes heart, because there is no better token of growing strength. The tiger has a bad name, and it deserves 1t, for 1t is
 ike man who goes through the world with his hand raised against every body. Most animals are capable of at tachments, even with those of differ ent family, but the tiger lives only for himself, and only makes trouble when mixed with other animals. The love of heir young, however, is marked and Then babies they watch ov- 1T like young mother and caress with the same fond pride. So long as -he little ones are soft in bone and un- weaned they always sleep with one eye )pen. Tiptoe to a tigers den in the darkest hour of night and you will find t so, The babies will be snuggled up close to the mothers breast, and deeply, but the mother will oe dozing and alert to the slightest loise. The wear and care of babies up- ,n a mother tigress drags her down ust as the same anxiety will q sen Iitive human mother. I am always dad when the little ones get big enough to take away. Even this has to ,e done gradually, This is to say the are at first put in an ad-
 oining cage, so that they may be seen lnd heard by their parents, and even when we'll grown, it is a good plan to | ceep them within sight, or at times Q bring them together where they can milf and caress each other after the | manner of their kind, Ringing Broth $ are especially proud of these three | title tigers, and if anything went | wrong with them It would make them | eei very badly. I have roller curtains | tt the sides of the cage so that the | ight may be softened at any time the | ubs look tired, and their lids droopy. i The moro good sleep they get, the more lesh and bone nature will give them. | { is interesting to see the mother, an | nervous creature settle into | . deathlike quiet when the babies relax n sleep. When they are awake she ! moves like ball of perpetual motion. i tou AaoW LulS SedaeiSSS boAhS dllu CO- ming and waving of body and head Is | neat and drink to the health of the
 reature. When a monkey sleeps he ticks out the highest perch he can ind. When the only home of the mon- icy was a forest he lived always in | eadly fear of the lion. and a live mon- icy is the choicest kind of meal for the | ing of beasts Although the monkey s rather wise boy, and knows that | n Zoo the lions are securely caged, | he fear of the lion is born in him, and | his accounts for his finally as high 'erch as he can to sleep on. The lioness when free from family cares Is prone