THE LION HOUSE, No. 15.
As a spectacle of captive animal life, there is none more inspiring than a spacious, well-lighted and finely-appointed lion house, filled with a collection of the world’s greatest and handsomest wild beasts. To build an ideal lion house, and to fill it with a first-class collection of large felines, are matters involving no little time and much money; but the sight,—for the millions of visitors,—of lions, tigers, jaguars, pumas, leopards, cheetahs, black leopards, snow leopards and clouded leopards, all under one roof, surely is worth what it costs.
The Lion House of the Zoological Park was completed, excepting a few minor details, early in the year 1903, and was formally opened to the public in February. It is 244 feet long, 115 feet wide, including the outdoor cages, and its cost when completed reached $150,000. The materials of the building are the same kind as those used in the Reptile House and Primate House, but the animal sculptures, all by Mr. Eli Harvey, are more abundant and conspicuous than on any other structure erected heretofore. The building contains 13 indoor cages, and 9 outdoor cages, and between the two there is free communication. The sizes of the various cages are as follows:
Interior cages: Largest, 14 feet wide, 22 feet deep; smallest, 13 feet wide, 14 feet high.
Exterior cages: two end cages, 40×44 feet, 17 feet high; central cage, 40 feet square, 14 feet high; smallest, 13 feet wide, 12 feet deep, 13 feet high.
JAGUAR.
Excepting for the single fact of having interior and exterior cages, the Lion House of the Zoological Park is—like the Primate House—an entirely original development. Its most important new features are as follows:
All cage service, the introducing and withdrawal of animals, is conducted from the rear, by means of a track underneath the sleeping dens, and an elevating platform car.
The communication between indoor and outdoor cages is direct and continuous.
Instead of upright iron bars, all the cage fronts are of hard-steel wire netting, in rectangular pattern, attached to wrought iron frames. This is considered by the Zoological Society a great improvement upon the heavy bar-work hitherto in universal use for cage fronts in lion houses.
CHEETAH.
The space above the sleeping dens has been developed as a sunlit balcony, whereon the animals will be very conspicuous, even to large crowds of visitors.
Jungle-green tiling, impervious to moisture and dirt, is used as a back-ground for the animals.
The Lion is an animal of perpetual interest, but like every other noteworthy wild animal, its haunts are constantly being claimed by civilization, and its members are rapidly decreasing. It is not a difficult matter to exterminate or drive out from a given territory any large and conspicuous quadruped, and at the present rate of settlement and industrial development in Africa, it may easily come to pass that by the end of the present century, the king of beasts will be without a home, outside of zoological collections.
Like everything great, the Lion has his share of critics and detractors. A few writers have asserted that because he does not stalk through his native forests with head proudly erect, like a drum-major on parade, he is mean-spirited and cowardly. But the beast of noble countenance believes in the survival of the fittest, and both by inheritance and observation he knows that a lion who needlessly exposes himself in the field captures the smallest amount of game, and attracts the greatest number of steel-tipped bullets.
BARBARY LION.
Although Lions vary greatly in their color, and in the length of the mane, it is conceded by naturalists that only one species exists. In the same district and under precisely similar conditions are found short-maned and long-maned individuals, and all shades of color from tawny yellow to dark brown. The present geographic range of the species is from Southern Rhodesia to Persia and northwestern India, but in northern Egypt there is a large extent of territory which is lionless.
By reason of his heavy mane and massive countenance, supported by the grandest roar that issues from throat of beast, the Lion appears to be a larger animal than he really is. It is yet an unsettled question whether it exceeds the tiger in length, height or weight, and it is certainly true that in point of size these two species are very evenly matched.
In captivity, the Lion is reasonably contented, and under good conditions breeds readily, and lives a goodly number of years.
The Siberian Tiger.—Strange to say, the tiger ranges far to the northward of its proper home in Hindustan, even to Corea, Manchuria and Russian Siberia. In those cold regions the tiger grows to its greatest size, and is clothed with a dense coat of long and shaggy hair. In collections, the great northern tigers are the most highly prized. The Zoological Park has recently acquired from East Siberia two fine young specimens, born early in 1909, and all the year round they inhabit the great northern outdoor cage attached to the Lion House. It is a strange sight to see tigers living outdoors in winter in New York.
SNOW LEOPARD.
The Tiger will be found upon the earth long after the lion has disappeared. He is a far better hider, a more skillful hunter, less given to taking foolish risks, and he does not advertise his presence and invite his enemies by the bombastic roaring in which the lion delights to indulge. The Tiger is an animal of serious mind, and he attends strictly to business. A lion will stalk out into the open, in broad day, but the Tiger sticks closely to cover until the friendly darkness renders it safe to roam abroad.
Despite the density of the population of India, and the omnipresence of sahibs with rifles of large caliber, the Tiger still inhabits all India from Cape Comorin to the Himalayas, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Burma, Siam, and certain portions of China up to the region of snows. Corean and Siberian Tigers are much sought after by zoological gardens, partly on account of their size, and also because they are so hardy they are able to live out doors all winter in the temperate zone. The Tiger is not found in Africa, nor in any country westward of India.
The maximum length attained by this animal, head, body and tail, is 10 feet 2 inches. A very large specimen killed by Dr. Hornaday measured 9 feet 8½ inches in length, stood 3 feet 7 inches high at the shoulders, and weighed, on the scales, 495 pounds. In India, Tigers are classed according to their habits, as “game-killers,” “cattle-lifters,” or “man-eaters.” Fortunately, in comparison with the total number of these animals, the latter are few and far between.
Of yellow-coated felines, The Jaguar, (Felis onca), is next in size to the tiger. In South America, it is almost universally called “El Tigre” (pronounced Te’-gre), which is Spanish for tiger. Comparatively few Americans are aware that this superb animal belongs in the fauna of the United States, but such is the fact. The northern limit of its distribution is found in southern Texas, where it still exists in small numbers. In South America it extends to Patagonia.
The Jaguar is a stocky, heavily-built animal, with a massive head and powerful forearm. It is a good climber, and many wonderful stories of its strength have been told and printed. Among leopards of all kinds it can always be identified by the great size of the black rosettes on its body, as well as by its heavy build.
The splendid male specimen, named “Senor Lopez,” in honor of a former President of Paraguay, was the first to arrive for the new Lion House. It was captured in August, 1901, in the wilds of central Paraguay, expressly for us, through the efforts of Mr. William Mill Butler, of Philadelphia, and by him presented to the Zoological Park. After a long journey in small river craft, in a flimsy wooden cage that several times came near collapsing, the animal reached Asuncion, was taken to Liverpool by Mr. Butler, and finally reached New York.
The Leopard, (Felis pardus), is fourth in size from the lion, and is distinguished from the jaguar by smaller spots and less powerful form. It inhabits both Asia and Africa, from Japan to Cape Colony. While the species is regarded as the same throughout that vast extent of territory, it is undoubtedly true that the Leopards of Africa have smaller spots and more intense coloring than those of Asia. The maximum size for this species is a total length of 8 feet, which is attained only by a very large animal, with a long tail.
Naturally, the Leopard preys upon smaller animals than those most sought by the lion and tiger. It prefers small antelopes, and young animals generally, goats and sheep. When pursued, it is very skilful in hiding, and will shelter in brushy cover until fairly beaten out.
The Black Leopard is the most ill-tempered of all feline animals—perpetually snarling and growling, and seeking to do some one an injury. Naturalists regard it as of the same species as the common leopard, (Felis pardus), despite the fact that it is found only in southeastern Asia, and both in appearance and disposition is totally different from the typical pardus. With but few exceptions, the world’s supply of Black Leopards comes from Singapore.
The Cheetah, or Hunting Leopard, (Cynaelurus jubatus), is marked by its long legs, slender body, small head, small spots, and claws that are only partially retractile. Its structure suggests that of the dogs. It is distributed very irregularly through portions of Africa and southern Asia, and is by no means a common animal like the leopard and tiger.
In central India, this animal is trained to hunt the sasin antelope, a form of sport indulged in chiefly by native rajahs. The Cheetah takes kindly to captivity, and permits handling to an extent quite unknown with other large felines. Its keepers place the animal upon an open cart, blindfold it, and then drive to within 200 yards of a herd of antelope. At the point of nearest possible approach, the hood is removed, and the animal is set free. Leaping to the ground, the Cheetah stalks the herd of antelope as closely as possible, then makes a sudden rush forward, and endeavors to seize a victim. If successful, the animal is pulled down and killed. If not, the Cheetah sullenly retires, and again places itself in the hands of its friends.
The Snow Leopard, or Ounce, (Felis uncia), is the rarest, and also one of the most beautiful of all the large felines. It inhabits the high plateau of central Asia from the Himalayas to the Altai Mountains of Mongolia, above 9,000 feet. It is the neighbor of the Marco Polo sheep, the giant-horned argali, and the Siberian ibex. In its home country, this creature is sufficiently numerous that 2,000 tanned skins sometimes reach Shanghai in a single year, but owing to its great distance from railways and sea, not more than fifteen or twenty specimens have reached the zoological gardens of Europe and America. Some individuals are good-natured and playful, but others are morose.
The Puma, or Mountain Lion, (Felis concolor), is the most widely-known feline in North America. At present it is at home in Florida, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, and all the states westward thereof. Southward it inhabits Mexico and Central America, and ranges through South America quite down to southern Patagonia. It attains its maximum size (8 feet in length, weight 225 pounds) in Colorado, where it appears to be more numerous than in any other state. In Routt County it is hunted very successfully with dogs. When pursued, it is compelled to take refuge in a low tree, in which it can be photographed or shot without danger.
Despite the numerous thrilling stories that have been written and published about the dangerous doings of this animal, it is by no means really dangerous to man. No Puma holding an option on a safe line of retreat ever stops to fight a man.
The Puma was formed for agility rather than strength. It swims well, and it is the most agile climber of all the large felines. The head of this animal is particularly beautiful, and its temper in captivity is entirely satisfactory. The first specimen of this species to enter the Zoological Park came from Peru, as a gift from Mr. Joseph P. Grace, and during the years 1901 and 1902 it lived out doors, constantly, in the Puma House (No. 33A), where its health was excellent.