Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-02-02
Most Dangerous of All Animals.

"Of all Wild animals" writes A. w
Rolker in Appleton's Magazine, "mclud-
ing the rhinoceros with his frightful
charge and his dreadful horn. including
the rogue elephant with mis- uuhounded
strength, his marvellous cunning. and his
NllainouS trunk and including that graz
shaggy rogue the American grizzly
with his rib-cruShing hug. his pouderuuS
paw. and his hot, rocking NAV. no beast
IS as dangerous To man as amy one of
the big eats. For besides the mouth pro-
vided with teeth that can crunch through
the leg bone of Il man as if ii were Il
pipeStem. each foot is provided with five
poniard-like claws, pointed like needles
ana from three 20 four and half inches
long. As the beast strikes with these he
draws the claws in, keeping hold of
muscles and tend0ns and lgAments. and
tearing them out of the flesh until they
snap like rubber bands. SO That unless
the victim Succumbs ii will be months
and months and sometimes years and
Years before he can regain use of an
injured member.
But not only do these talous tear.
Curious to say. considering that although
the claws are nepdle~pointcd the edges
are dull as the tip of Il little finger. Il
cut with one of these hooks is like the
cut Of dagger. Last year. in Bustocl<'S
tlgIes~ made Il sweep at Eurouean
black bear. cut through the siX-iuch
thick lur uf the bear, and eat three
parallel strips two feet long and SiN
inches deep and clean AZ razor slashes 10
the very backbone of the beast AS a
matter of fact the deXterity of one of
these big eats claws is astounding. Here
is a curious accident which happened
to Bostock himself when he undertook
personally to break in It rogue tiger
that had gone bad Provided with sole
leather guards Worn next the skin and
covering the Heshy part of the leg from
the groin to the knee, he entered the
arena with the bad one and was at
tackled and wounded. His trousers were
siashed in one spot just big enough to
admit single claw an undcrgarment
showed two similar aud the sole-lrather
guard three similar cuts, while the flesh
was torn an inch deep in four places
three inches long. Still another instance
showing the marvellous quickncSS of claw.
happened hi the same show when the
trainer in charge of leopard group was
saved in the nick of time from "a rogue
which had tried to pun him down hy
climbing MP on him. The arm of this
man showed, between wrist and elbow
alone. tWentY-Si% wounds varying from
a quarter of an inch deep and an inch
long la one inch deep and four inches
long.
'Of all the big eats. including that
magnificent jnngle-maned monarch Of
night. the lion. and including those beau
tifUlly spotted orange-and- black villains,
the jaguar and the leopard and their
cousin, that noisecSs, lightning wifi
traitor, the panther. trainers prefer to
handle the tiger This is contrary TO the
popular belief Which credits the tiger a.
the most bloodthirsty Of all Wild beasts.
The tiger is. however. the quickest IH
learn and the easiest 10 handle. Where
as the tiger always remains n nervous.
high-StruuG brute. after a time the lion
becomes phlegmatic and lazy and re
onirpS urging which is apt to cause
trouble. Whereas, the tiger is a demon
incarnatp and mcrcileSS. once aroused. he
is at least an honest tighter WHO gives
ample warning when about to attack and
from behind unlike the jaguar. the Loop
ard. and panther, which are trcacherouS
and almost invariably attack when u
back is turned. Again. Of all this dan
gerous family the nature Of the tiger
comes nearest that of an ordinary house
cat. and. always comparatively, the tiger
it is that is most apprecidtlve once the
master has succeeded in establishing his
truce Then. like the domestic eat. lie
likes to brush mp against the person of
his trainer. loves 10 have his back
rubbed and groomed and the top Of his
head scratched to soothe the everlasting
itch between the ears. while he cmit~
purrs Of satisfaction. forgetting that the
least unforeseen accident may arouse
murdprous instincts that would lu 20
twiuking convert the friendly mr"t'hG
into a Shambles.