The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-06-11
BEARS FIGHT FOR
45 MINUTES IN
BRONX zoo
FIERCE STRUGGLE WHEN CRAZY
MIKE. A JAPANESE, ENTERS
DEN OF FITZ, AN AMERICAN
BLACK BEAR.


can black bear and japanese bear
fought for 40 minutes minutes In the
Bronx zoo. One thousand persons
looked on. Pale faced women shrieked
This is awful! Separate theml"
/ Open mouthed. staring small boys
/ Rugged themselves in shivering de-
/ light.
IL would have been a fight 20 the
the death but that a general alarm"
brought Director Hornaday and all the
keepers 10 the den where the combat
ants were locked in fierce embrace.
Then. torn, bleeding and exhausted.
the bears were driven apart Both
were severely hurt Dr. w. +. Blair.
who attends the Zoo folks, does not
know how badly yet.
There never was such a bear fight
outside the jungle" said Director Hor-
raday confidently.
Crazy Mike Was an Intruder.
The Yankee bear. which is called
Fitz because it's a fighter. mad good
cause 10 attack the Japanese. which Is
called Crazy Mike because sometimes
IL seems 10 be a candidate for an ur-
sine lunatic asylum. Mr. and Mrs.
Crazy Mike live In a fine den, and
right next door live Mr.. and Mrs. Fitz
in pit Just as good. Between the
dens, under the rocks beneath which
the bears sleep. is a. gate. Somehow
or other Crazy Mike opened this gate
and, wandering from his own ilreside,
shuffied into the black bears den and
engagingly said How dye do" to
Mrs. Fitz.
The American bear. smaller, but
older and more wiry than the Japan
csc. rushed at Crazy Mike and the
spectators said gave him a cum on
the head that Bob E.tzsimmons would
have admired. Then, growing saw
agely, the bears went AZ it. Neither
tried to sidestep nor shirk The long
duel was fought in a space OF % feet.
Nbetween the gate and the swimming
pool in the center OF the den. Now
rearing on their launches. the bears
struck 'round-arm blows. tearing each
others hides until their shaggy coats
were ensanguined; again. on all tours.
and circling warily. they bit and drove
in their sharp claws when crimsoned
froth dripped from their painting
mouthsI now they grapple and rolled
over and over trying TO crush in each
others ribs.
Tried to Drown Fitz.
The Japanese bear knocked Fitz
into the pool and tried nightly TO
drown him. Just then woman ran
10 Keeper Spicer. crying; The bears
are killing each other; oh, it's dread
full" Spicer did not hurry; he thought
some bears were at play. But when
he reached the den he knew a death
struggle was going on.
Spicer grabbed six stout heavy
clubs which are used as bear persuad-
ers on occasion, and bravely entered
the den. He did not wait to get too
close to the fighters. for a chance blow
would have smashed his skull or
broken his arm. SO from few feet
he hurled the clubs at the combatants.
Five hit either Crazy Mike or Fitz.
The clubs might have been straws for
all the bears cared, but the sixth club
hit the Japanese on the snout and
down he went dazed. Fitz seized him
by the throat.
Bears cost money, so Spicer sent
the general alarm which is used when
a tiger escapes from its cage or an ele
plant goes on the rampage or some
such pleasing incident occurs Direc-
tor Hornaday, William Ferguson, Grief
keeper Of the bears: Keepers Truman
and Bayreuther and dozen others,
armed with prongs and clubs. an
swered the alarm a-running. Just as
they reached the den the bears, in a
desperate hug. fell into the pool. BY
this time all the animals around the
pit knew something was wrong and
filled the air with their frightful cries;
the buffaloes, on their range next the
bear pits. were raising the mischief.
Finally the keepers beat and prodd-
ed the bears away from each other
and drove into his own pit the Jap
anese. streaming with blood and limp
ing, like his antagonist Both bears
were so exhausted that. breathing la
boriously. they fell at full length.
But. after resting a few minutes, as
IL by common impulse, they jumped
up, rushed to the dividing bars and
olawed and bit each other. Then Mr..
Hornaday told Keeper Ferguson TO
take the Japanese TO a cage 300 feet
away Keepers arranged benches In
line TO restrain the crowd and Crazy
Mike, so weary he could scarcely lift
a leg. was forced along the public
path to the cage. one minute being
whipped. the next tempted by piece
OF Juicy meat.