The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-08-26
TRAITS OF WILD BEASTS.
veteran Trainer Says They Are Much
Like Human Beings.

Some one said once that the more
he saw of dogs the lower opinion ne
had of men. After thirty odd years
with pretty nearly every Quadruped
that ever has been in captivity, says
George Conklin of the Barnum and
Bailey Circus, I'd change that saying
a bit. I'G say, The more I see u
men, the better I understand AMI
mails" for In every way the four
footed beasts have the traits and are
moved by the same passions tnat
move their two-footed brethren.
Love, hate, fear, courage, treach-
cry, viciousness, jealousy. anger,
selfshness, generosity, greed, self
sacrifice, every passion OF which men
are capable, the animals have,
though of courSe, they are tntensl-
ted.
No matter how good tempered an
animal may be, no matter how plac-
i'd, how tractable, he is liable at any
moment to change to dangerous,
b.oodthirsty creature, intent only on
Staying his trainer. In the very
tractability of an animal lies the
greatest danger to the trainer. It
makes him careless. The watchful-
ness which Re will use with an ami
nal of which he Is uncertain is al
lowed to lapse, and it is that moment
Of carelessness for which the animal
is ever on the alert To such lapses
are due s5 per cent Of the accidents
and attacks on animal trainers.
A lion will work himself up into a
frenzy Of rage through jealousy.
There is cne trainer know who was
a.most killed by lioness who was
Jealous, not of another animal, but
o. woman. The trainer was IN the
cage at the time, when he saw his
daughter outside the cage. He smiled
at her and the lioness saw 1t. In a
moment she changed. Her doci!ity
changed to fury and she sprung at
I him. He was terribly torn before re
was dragged out Of the cage.
| Animals get used to strangers
looking at them from outside. the
cage, but stranger inside the cage
would have little show OF escaping
with his life. Even experienced
trainers hesitate about entering a
cage until they get the beast used to
,eeing them and to hear THEN voices
Animals will nurse a grudge TO!
years and wait for an opportunity te
have revenge for some real OF fan
cied Ill treatment by man or mate
This is particularly true Of elephants
We had helper once-it was If
teen years ago-who used to tease
| Jug, an old bull, On every chance ne
got. The man was with the show
I only one season. Ten years iatel
that man was nearly killed by jus
in a little town In the West, where
/ me man lived and the show visited
The animal remembered his old enc
| my and reached out from the stree
yarade, seized the man and badl!
crushed him.
The most treacherous animals arr
the leopards and jaguars. You neal
people, particularly women, cal
them poor pussy" as they lie blink
ing and purring. Let them ge
close and they would find tina
pussy would scratch. Their sly
ness and cunning are wonderful, ant
they will spring at their trainer tht
instant his back is turned.
No two animals are the same
They have individualities and char
acteristics like people. Lions par
tlcularly, are like men. They art
SOW to anger, but when their TEN
per is aroused, they are furious.
For. children elephants often form
a strong attachment. They take in
stinctively to some people. while fo'
others they always hold bitter ami
mostly.
All this talk about the power o
the human eye is tommyrot. It:
nerve, pure and simple, that makes
a man a trainer. Let trainer lost
i, only for moment, and the AMI
mails instinctiYely feel it and attack
him.
An animal knows when you're
afraid Of him, and he'll take advan
tage Of your fear. The only thing
he respects is pain, ald the trues
friend a trainer has is a heavy raw
b. lie whip, with one end loaded witt
Lad.