The leopard is tamed easily, and is usually the animal selected to perform the leaping and similar feats which form a prominent portion of the “lion king’s” exhibition. Care is taken to select an individual who shows an inclination and aptness for these exercises. In this case the training is a mere trifle; the tamer corners the leopard up in one end of the cage, and holding his whip in a horizontal position close to the floor, he gently stirs the animal with his foot, giving at the same time the command, “up!” or “hi!” To escape the annoyance the leopard will spring over the whip, and the lesson is repeated until he does so promptly, on its being placed in position and the order given. Then the tamer may raise one of his legs and hold the whip at its side, and the leopard will leap over the leg. The same plan may be adopted with other articles such as poles, banners, etc., or even the trainer’s own head. Jumping through a hoop is the next lesson; the hoop to be held in one hand while the other hand holds the whip, with which the lower part of the hoop is to be tapped when the command “up!” or “hi!” is given. The hoop is at first held low down and close to the animal, but it may be gradually elevated as the lessons continue until the leap is as high as the cage will permit. Covering the hoop with paper adds a little to the attractiveness of this feat, and, of course, the leopard experiences no difficulty in going through a single thickness of paper.
It is a harder task to induce the animal to jump through a hoop in which a number of small lights are arranged so as to form a fiery circle. The animal’s natural dread of fire makes him dislike anything of which fire forms a part, but if the hoop be at first of large size and the lights few, he will, if perseveringly urged, by-and-by venture. Experiencing no harm he will gradually become bolder, and the size of the hoop may be decreased and the lights increased until a wreath of fire is formed barely large enough for him to pass through; the rapidity of his passage will prevent his being hurt by the flames. A similar mode is adopted for teaching lions, though they are less frequently taught these tricks.
The large cage in which the tamer’s public exhibitions take place is divided into several compartments by iron gates; each animal has his allotted division and the gates prevent any intrusion by the other animals. It is only when the tamer is in the cage that these-gates are opened; then they swing back against the sides, forming one large cage. The animals are very jealous of any encroachment of the others, upon their accustomed space, and the tamer must be watchful to prevent quarrels when they are thus all thrown together. It is easier to make the beasts submit to a man’s presence than to the presence of one another. It is seldom that the tamer is assailed, but many a time has one of the animals been killed during these performances, without the spectators having any suspicion of the fact. A sudden bite at the back of the neck crushes the spine and the victim sinks upon the floor without a sound, dead. The audience suppose he has lain down because his part of the performance is over—and so it is.
Wild animals kept in confinement are subject to spells of sulkiness, at which times their management requires great judgment and care on the part of the tamer. These sulky moods are premonitions to the tamer of danger, and he makes it a point whenever passing the cages to glance at the animals’ eyes to detect any suspicious looks. It is during these fits that most of the casualties occur.
Women have in several instances ventured to assume the rôle of “lion queens.” Some years ago one of these was traveling with a show; through the country, whose husband, we have been told, had been a lion tamer, and had been killed by one of the animals. Before his death this man had sometimes allowed his wife to enter the cage with him, thus accustoming the animals to her presence—though with no thought, probably, of her ever performing them professionally. Exactly how it came about we cannot tell, but probably she saw no other means of support; at any rate, in the very cage in which her husband met his death she set out to win her daily bread. We cannot vouch for the story; we cannot now even recall the name of our informant; but for all that it may be true. We only remember that she was harsher toward her animals than are most masculine members of the profession, and it is possible she was meting out to them a sort of “poetic justice” for the murder of her husband.
Children have at times been introduced into these cages to make the exhibition appeal more strongly to the sympathies of the audience. The public always flock to see these scenes, however they may cry out against the barbarity of exposing a child to the danger of being torn to pieces by wild beasts. In one or two cases a little girl has entered the cage entirely alone and performed the animals; but animals are often more tractable with children than with grown persons, as probably many of our readers have witnessed in the case of savage dogs. Mrs. Bowdich says of a panther kept at Cape Coast, Africa, as the pet of an officer, that he was particularly gentle with children, lying by them as they slept. Even the infant shared his caresses without the slightest attempt on the animal’s part to injure the child. Besides this docility with children the tamer is always near at hand, sometimes in the guise of an attendant, keeping a watchful eye upon the animals, and ready to lend prompt assistance should it be required.
In Persia the leopard is trained to hunt gazelles just as a falcon will hunt herons. The huntsman provides the leopard with a hood, which can be drawn over his face and mouth, and seats him on his saddle-bow. The moment a deer or gazelle is sighted the leopard’s head is uncovered, and he is let down from the horse. In one or two bounds, according to the distance, the leopard springs upon the back of his prey and seizing it by the neck brings it to the ground. The huntsman then comes up, and after caressing the leopard, who has already begun to feast upon the prey, he gives him a piece of meat to divert his attention, and slipping on the hood restores him to his place upon the saddle-bow. When the leopard fails to bring down the prey, which rarely happens, he hides himself and lies down, and can only be prevailed on to renew the chase by repeated caresses.
CHAPTER XIV.
TAMING WILD ANIMALS IN GENERAL—SQUIRRELS—BEARS—BUFFALOES—WOLVES—HYENAS—RHINOCEROSES—HIPPOPOTAMI—CROCODILES—ALLIGATORS.
All our present domestic animals having sprung from wild stock, it is not very remarkable that many other animals now found in a state of nature, may be rendered equally gentle and obedient under proper treatment. As the taming of these animals answers no purpose save the gratification of public curiosity, the number is comparatively small, for as soon as a tame bear or buffalo ceases to be a novelty the most profitable thing for his owner to do is to chop him up into steaks. Whatever may be the ferocity of an animal that has reached maturity, this characteristic is almost wholly lacking in his infancy, consequently most of the tamed animals have been captured young, and accustomed for the principal part of their lifetime to captivity.
All wild animals when captured, after they have reached an adult age, display at first a passionate resistance to confinement and all efforts to soothe them. While this lasts it is usual to keep them without food. The exhaustion induced by this deprivation greatly aids in quelling their rage, besides teaching them the hopelessness of resistance. With cubs this is scarcely ever necessary; though they sometimes display anger, they are so easily overpowered or restrained from mischief, that it is hardly worth while needlessly to make them suffer hunger. As soon as the old ones become quiet they are fed by the tamer, who thus lays the foundation of their future good will. Animals in menageries are, as a rule, fed one full meal each day, with the exception of Sunday, on which day they get nothing to eat. This fast is intended to keep them in health, and to rest their digestive organs, and is nothing to animals who can go for days or even weeks without food if necessary.