The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1908-04-23
TRAITS OF WILD BEAsTa
veteran Trainer Says They Are MucI
Like Human Beings.

bihc huinun DeiuRS.
Some one said once that the mon
he saw of dogs the lower opinion h,
had of men. After thirty odd year
with pretty nearly every quadrupe,
that ever has been in captivity. say
George Conklln OF the Barnum an,
Bailey Circus, I'd change that sayin,
bit. I'd say, The more ! see u
men, the better understand AMI
mails" for In every way the four
footed beasts have the traits and are
moved by the same passions tina,
move their two-footed brethren.
Love. hate. fear. courage. treach.
cry, viciousness, jealousy, anger
telfishness. generosity, greed. self
sacrifice, every passion OF which men
are capable, the animals have
though of courte, they are intensi
ted.
No matter how good tempered an
animal may be, no matter how plac.
Id, how tractable. he is liable at any
moment TO change to dangerous,
bloodthirsty creature, intent only on
Staying his trainer In the very
tractabiiity OF an animal lies the
greatest danger to the trainer. II
makes him careless. The watchful.
ness which e will use with an ami
NAL of which he is uncertain Is al.
lowed to lapse, and 1t Is that moment
of carelessness for which the animal
is ever on the alert. To such lapses
are due 95 per cent OF the accidents
and attacks on animal trainers.
a lion will work himself up into
frenzy of rage through jealousy.
There is one trainer / know who was
almost killed by a llones5 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 It. In a
moment she changed. Her docility
changed to fury and she sprung at
him. He was terribly torn before he
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 q
cage until they get the beast used TO
seeing them and to hear their voices.
Animals will nurse a grudge for
years and wait for an opportunity to
have revenge for some real or fan
cied III treatment by man or mate.
This is particularly true OF elephants.
We had helper once-it was ff-
teen years ago-who used to tease
jug. an old bull. on every chance he
got. The man was with the show
only one season. Ten years later
that man was nearly killed by jug
in a little town In the West, where
the man lived and the show visited.
The animal remembered his old enc
my and reached out from the street
crushed him.
The most treacherous animals are
the leopards and jaguars. You hear
people, particularly women. call
them poor pussy" as they lie blink
ing and purring. Let them get
close and they would find that
pussy" would scratch. Their sly
ness and cunning are wonderful, and
they will spring at their trainer the
instant his back Is turned.
No two animals are the same.
They have individualities and char
acteristics like people. Lions par
ticularly, are like men. They are
slow to anger, but when their tenn
per Is aroused, they are furious.
For children elephants often form
strong attachment. They take in
stinctively to some people. while for
others they always hold bitter ami
mostly.
All this talk about the power OF
the human eye Is tommyrot. It's
nerve. pure and simple, that makes
4 man trainer. Let a trainer Jose
It only for a moment, and the ami
mails instinctively 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, and the truest
friend trainer has is a heavy raw
hide whip. with one end loaded with
lead