Evening star., 1944-10-13
This and That
By Charles 2. Trdce1Dell.
"CLYDESDALE PLACE

CLYDESDALE PLACE.
Dear Sir:
To-day I overheard the head animal
keeper of the National Geological Park
describe to one of the Zoo officials how
yesterday in the lion house before the
cage of the Bengal tiger that has re-
Gently had three cubs he came upon a
man with two children whom he had
evidently put over and inside the guard
fence so that the children could get
right next to the bars of the cage.
When the head keeper arrived upon
the scene, he said the little boy was
actually grasping with his hands the
bars of the cage with his face in close
proximity to the inside of the cage,
while the mother tiger was showing
signs of great perturbation for her cubs.
"She had picked up one Of the cubs in
her mouth and retreated to the further
most part of the cage, then in her ex-
citement, instead of putting 1t down
gently. she dropped 1t upon the floor
so that the little animal might well
have been injured.
when the head keeper demonstrated
with the man for placing the children
inside the guard fence in such a posi-
ton of peril and ordered him to take
them out of there quickly the man grew
angry and argumentative about it, say
ing that he was looking out for the
children and the keeper need not con-
Germ himself about it, etc.
"The mother tiger was SO excited
then that the keeper had to disperse
the crowd of people and close the lion
house for several hours until the mother
tiger Gained down.
Thus, for the unseemly conduct Of
one ill-advised or thoughtless person,
the other people hocking to the Zoo
in the hope of seeing the tiger cubs
were deprived Of the privilege.
Again later in the day, the head
keeper said, he came upon two young
men before the open puma cage in an
other part of the Zoo, and one man had
long stick which he was poking
through the wire mesh of the cage and
jabbing at large puma.
when the puma seized one end of
the stick in its mouth in its anger at
being so annoyed the man would try
to thrust the stick down the puma's
throat
This man, likewise, when repri-
argumentative about 1t all and re-
minded the head animal keeper that
he did not have on any uniform or
badge to show his authority.
at would seem, from what I over
heard the head keeper say today, that
similar occurrences are of frequent hap
pening in our Zoo park: boys climbing
inside the guard fence before the bears
cages to pick up peanuts, and when told
to desist and get back to safety, their
parents demonstrating with the keepers
for ordering them out; boys throwing
rocks into the sea lions pond, hoping
the sea lions will mistake the rocks for
fish. and try to swallow them.
Ut would seem, therefore, that some
members of the public visiting our fine
geological park are sadly in need of
new set of manners with which to con-
duct themselves, failing in which they
should keep away entirely-which
would be cordially appreciated by the
larger portion of the visitors who do
not like to see the Gagged animals an
noyed nor like to see grown person
SO foolish and needless as to expose
little children to dire physical harm.
Sincerely, E. A. c."
InlS correspondent points out one Of
the reasons why the country has juve-
nile delinquency problem.
Certainly any adult who would allow
child to run under the bars and stay
close to any animal cage did not read
the story of how a young girl in New
York lost her arm while teasing polar
bear several months ago.
There was a somewhat similar case
here.
The Zoo is full Of printed regulations
and rules about not annoying the AMI
mails. It would seem that today too
many persons believe In vitamins plus.
manners minus. Their ignorance of
elementary biology, especially Of the
state Of mind Of Wild animals with
young, would be amusing II 1t were not
highly dangerous to al concerned. Ger
tainly our Gagged animals have to bear
enough. what with loss Of freedom and
motion. without being subjected to
fooliahness and annoyance from Wild
persons outEide ths easss.