Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1908-08-22
'ANIMALSDISCUSSED
BY THE CIRCllS EXPERT


Some one once said that the more
he saw of dogs, the lower opinion
ne had OF men. After 30-odd years
with pretty nearly every quadruped
that ever has been in captivity. I'd
change that saying bit. I'd say,
The more I see of meq, the better
J understand animals" for in every
way the four-footed beasts have the
traits and are moved by the same
passions that move their two-footed
brethren. Love, hate, fear. Courage,
treachery, viciousness, jealousy, ang-
er, selflshness, generosity, greed.
self-sacrifice. every passion of
which men are capable, the animals
nave, though, of course, they are In
tensified.
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 a dangerous.
bloodthirsty creature. intent only on
Staying his trainer. In the very trac-
liability of an animal lies the great
eat danger TO the trainer: Il makes
him careless. The watchfulness he
viii observe with an animal OF
which he Is uncertain, II allowed to
lapse. and II Is that moment of care
lessness for which the animal is
ever on the alert. To such lapses
are due 30 per cent OF the accidents
and attacks on animal trainers.
A lion will work himself up into
2 frenzy OF rage through jealousy.
, There is one trainer / know who
was almost killed by n lioness who
was jealous, not of another animal.
but OF woman. The trainer was
In the cage AT the time, when he
Jaw his daughter outside the cage.
He smiled at her and the lioness
saw Il. In moment she changed.
her docility changer 10 fury and she
eDrang 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 a stranger inside the cage
would have little show OF escaping
with his life. Even experienced train
ers hesitate about entering n cage
until they get the beast used 10 see
Ing them and hearing their voices
Animals Will nurse grudge for
years. and wait for an opportunity
TO have revenge for some real or
fancied ill-treatment by man or mate.
This Is particularly true OF ele-
plants. We ha da helper once-it
plants. We had a helper once-it
tease Jug" an old bull. on everv
chance he got. The man was with
the show only one season. Ten
years later that man was nearly
killed by jug In little town In the
west where the man lived and the
show visited. The animal remem-
bered his old enemy, and reached
out from the street parade. seized
the man and badly crushed him.
The most treacherous animals are
the leopards and jaguars. You hear
people. especially women. call them,
poor pussy" as they lie blinking
and nurring. Let them get close
scratch. Their slyness and cunning
nj their trainer the instant HIS back
Is turned
no two animals are the same.
They have indivlduallties and char
acteristics like people. Lions, par
ticularly, are like men. They are
slow 10 anger but when their tenn
per Is reused they are furious. Ele-
Dhants, or bulls. as they ara called
In the circus. show their individuali-
ties. Our "Gyp" T. partv paralyzed
In the trunk and n unable 10 nut II
m TO her mouth. One day one OF
the men tried to help her aud she
got frantic. She spit out the hay he
nut IN her mouth. and taking II In
hes trunk. swung her head back and
forth until she could toss II no 10 her
mouth by the Impetus, as she always
does.
For children. eleDhants often form I
n strong attachment. They take In
stinetively 10 some peOnie. while for /
others they always hold bitter ant
mostly.
have seen one animal give fits =
share of food TO another that was
sick. again. have seen, more often, ,
a sick animal attacked and killed by
his mate.
All this talk about the mower OF
the human eye Is tommvrot. It's |
nerve, pure and simple, that makes
a man a trainer. Let a trainer lose
II, only for a moment. and the ami
mails instictively feel II and attack
him. An animal knows when you're
afraid OF him. and he'll take advan-
tage of your fear. The only thing
be respects Is pain. and the tFuest
friend the trainer has is a heavy
whip with one end loaled
With lead.
The Barnum and Bailey circus ex-
hibits here Thursday. August 27,
Giving two performances. Its annual
spring engagement in New York city
was far and away the most success
'ul the big organization has en-
Dyed in years and II comes here
with the hallmark OF ap-
,roval. over 100 acts are presented
n the three rings and. upon two
,tages, and by far the largest per
,entage OF them are new 10 America.
THE ssfhrlIIer'' this wear Is prom