WILD-ANIMAL CELEBRITIES 5 ELLEN | VELVIN CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924024784443 vi ity Libra ild-animal celeb rities. TU 4 024 78 By Permission New York Zoological Society Poiry, THE CELEBRATED CHIMPANZEE IN THE New York ZootocicaL Park, WHo Was Succerpep Dononc, THE Oranc-uTan, IN Porutar Favor WILD-ANIMAL CELEBRITIES BY ELLEN VELVIN, F.Z.8. Author of “Behind the Scenes with Wild Animals,” “Animals with Histories,” ‘‘Wild Creatures Afield,” etc., etc, ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK: MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY 1907 Copyright, 1907, by MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY, NEW YORK Published, September, 1907 Reprinted, October, 1907} DEDICATED BY PERMISSION Co Zohn Wurroughs IN APPRECIATION OF HIS LOVE OF ACCURACY. PREFAOE, The stories contained in this book are of actual animals, nearly all of whom are still living and on exhibition in various Zoologi- cal Gardens and menageries in different parts of the world. The facts related have been given me at first hand from the naturalists and trainers in charge, and most of the ani- mals described are old personal friends of my own. The majority of instances have come un- der my own personal observation and study, and, whenever it is otherwise, I have made, clear that fact and given the source from which I received my information. It is possible in all cases for those readers who might possibly doubt some of the in- stances related to verify each story told in this book by going or writing to those au- thorities. I am hoping, by presenting this book of actually true stories to the public, to show and prove some valuable traits in animals which may possibly be of some value to Natural History. I am specially indebted to the facilities afforded me in the New York Zoological Park by the courtesy of Mr. W. JT. Hornaday, the Director, who has given me every opportunity to study the animals under his care; to Dr. Ernst Pinkert, Director of the Zoological Gardens, Leipzig, Germany; E. M. B. Villiers, Esq., Superintendent Zoologi- eal Gardens, Clifton, Bristol, England; Dr. F, A. Crandall, Superintendent of the Zoo, Buffalo; Dr. Seitz, Director Zoological Gar- dens, Frankfurt-on-Main, Germany; P. Chalmers Mitchell, Esq., Secretary Royal Zoological Gardens, London, England; Pro- fessor Clemente Onelli, Director Zoological Gardens, Buenos Ayres; R. F. Scharff, Esq., Secretary Royal Zoological Gardens, Dublin, Ireland ; Edwin Cawston, Esq., President, and M. 8. Vallely, of the Pasadena Ostrich Farm, California; Messrs. Lee & S. Shubert of the New York Hippodrome; Mr. Frank C. Bostock; the proprietors of the Barnum and Bailey Circus; and to my many friends, the trainers, performers, and keepers who have done all in their power to help me with this book by giving me unique information, occasional private performances, and some excellent stories. The difficulties of obtaining information and unique photographs, such as are contained in this work, can only be realized by those who have tried it. For instance, an animal may be in a zoological garden or animal show for years and never once do anything which is the least unusual or worthy of notice. From many zoological gardens I have received the courteous reply that the Directors would be only too pleased to give me animal stories if they had any, but that they knew of abso- lutely nothing of their animals which was either unusual or of sufficient interest to make even a short anecdote. This is only one of the many difficulties, but these difficulties have been more than compensated for by the many pleasures and courtesies I have received during the time I have been doing this work. I can only hope that my readers will appreciate the stories one-half as much as I have appreciated the experiences. ELLEN VELVIN. New York City, June, 1907. Cuap. I. Cnap. IT. Cuap. III. Cuap. IV. CuHap. V. Cuap. VI. Cuap. VII. CONTENTS LIons. Wallace, Yula, Sultan, Balti- more, Schley and Dewey A Few Bic Cars. Lopez, Jaguar; Chang and Eng, Snow Leopards SomE CELEBRATED BEars. Pete, Russian Brown Bear; Cesar, Black Bear; Czar, Syrian Bear; Snow, Polar Bear ELEPHANTS. Jumbo, Coco, Gypsy, sie. Gunda, Sultan . SomME GREAT PACHYDERMS. Mezoviro, Rhinoceros; Vic- toria, Rhinoceros; Hippo, Hippopotamus . ORANG-UTAN. Dohong, the Orang-utan . Famous CHIMPANZEES. Polly, Soko, August, ca Consul, Kruger , Page 23 43 61 87 104 127 Cuap. VIII. Two Bison. Black Beauty, Montana . . 148 Cuap. IX. A Few HooFrep ANIMALS. Reno, Elk; Duke, Eland; Jack, Donkey .... . 155 Cuap. X, THREE GREAT Birps. George and Martha Wash- ington, Ostriches; General, Condor ........ 177 Cuap. XI. PonDEROUS REPTILES. Old Mose and Number Two, Alligators; Buster, Tortoise 199 Cuap. XII. SNAKES. Fatima, Selima, Great Peter 217 Cuap. XIII. Sears, SEA-LIONS. Tesca, Sea-lion; Toby, Seal; Wilmer, Sealion . . . . 2383 Cuap. XIV. Does. Bridge, Eskimo; Pluto, Great Dane .... 249 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE POLLY, THE CHIMPANZEE IN THE NEw YorK ZOOLOG- ICAL PARK, WHO Has SuccEEDED DOoHONG, THE ORANG-UTAN, IN POPULAR FAVOR ye od Frontispiece CLAIRE HELIOT AND HER Lion YULA, WHO Is BY NO MEANS AN ANIMAL TO BE TRUSTED é a ‘ 6 MME. MoRELLI AND HER CELEBRATED LEOPARD CAR- TOUCHE, WHO Is NOTED FOR His SAVAGENESS AND UNTAMABILITY i 5 mie 5 ‘ ~ . 88 SULTAN, WHO Is NOTED FOR HIS WONDERFUL FEATS OF EQUILIBRIUM IN THE BARNUM AND BAILEY Circus. 8&4 MEZOVIRO, IN THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK, IS ONE OF THE MosT INTERESTING RHINOCEROSES IN CAPTIVITY y i . % : x ‘ : . 88 BLACK BEAUTY, THE BISON IN THE NEW YORK ZOOLOG- ICAL PARK, WHO SHOWED SUCH ENMITY TOWARDS THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE HERD THAT HE IS NOW KEPT IN SOLITUDE ‘ . s & «© «© «~ 18 GEORGE WASHINGTON, THE CELEBRATED OSTRICH ON THE SOUTH PASADENA OSTRICH Farm, HAVING HIs FEATHERS PLUCKED. , . < « s we 18 BUSTER, THE CELEBRATED TORTOISE IN THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK, WHO IS ABOUT 370 YEARS OLD . 212 GREAT PETER, IN BOSTOCK’s, IS ONE OF THE LARGEST PyTHONS EVER KgpPTIN CAPTIVITY . + ee. 36 WILMER, IN THE BARNUM AND BAILEY CIRCUS, IS THE ONLY SEA-LION IN THE WORLD THAT CAN RIDE ON HORSEBACK «ww wel lw 226 244 LIONS CHAPTER I. LIONS WALLACE, YULA, SULTAN, BALTIMORE, SCHLEY AND DEWEY. HERE are so many stories about lions, le and so many lions in captivity which have become known or celebrated in some way or another that it is extremely difficult, in a book of this size, to determine which to select. It would take a whole book to tell of all I have heard of or even seen and studied myself; so I will only take a few which I think will be most interesting to the general public. Nearly everyone who takes any interest in wild animals has heard of the famous lion Wallace, who is so notorious for his savagery and many escapades. Wallace was at one time the property of George Wombwell and finally became the property of Mr. Frank C. Bos- tock, in whose animal show he is still to be seen. This lion has been exhibited in all 2 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES parts of the world, the inhabitants of Aus- tralia, Africa, and Southern Europe taking a special interest in him. Time after time various trainers tried to train this lion and perform with him. It has always ended most seriously for the trainer, more than one man having nearly lost his life. Only last winter Mr. Bostock, when at the Hippodrome in Paris, was giving a benefit for the widows and orphans of some men killed in a mining disaster, and undertook to per- form with this lion. As a rule Wallace be- haved fairly well with Mr. Bostock, but on this occasion he turned ugly in the middle of the performance and severely injured his mas- ter. Wallace created a tremendous sensation on his first appearance in America sixteen years ago. While the animals were lying in the docks at New York, Wallace, who had been in the worst of tempers during the voyage owing to sickness and the unusual surround- ings, became very restless and uneasy, roared ‘and paced about his cage, and tore and LIONS 3 strained at his bars as if determined to get out. As he was often in this restless state, no particular notice was taken of him, ex- cept to see that he was secure. But, in some way or another, Wallace did get out and, as soon as he found himself at liberty, rushed straight for an unfortunate horse which was standing near the docks and injured it terribly. Men ran out armed with all sorts of implements and with fire- arms, but with so many men it was extremely difficult to shoot without endangering the men themselves. Finally, one man, seeing the desperate plight the poor horse was in, attempted to go to his assistance and, getting at close range, was just going to fire, when Wallace, with a furious growl, rushed at him, bore him to the ground and before anyone could prevent it killed him. The fright and consternation may be imagined, and every man present made the very greatest efforts to kill or overcome the now furious animal. But in spite of all, Wallace defied them, fought so desperately 4 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES and wildly that it was as much as they could all do to save their own lives, and then, in the midst of it all, made his escape and was free to roam about in the City of New York! For forty-eight hours Wallace was at large, and the people were almost in a state of panic. All sorts of stories got about. Some declared they had seen him in one place, and some in another; but one whole day passed without anyone knowing his whereabouts, and a ter- rible time of anxiety and trouble the pro- prietors went through. Large rewards were offered for his capture dead or alive, big sums were offered to men who would join in the search, but it was nearly thirty-eight hours before he was discovered lying down quietly in a side street, and, whether he was faint for want of food, or tired of roaming about no one will ever know. After another exciting period of ten hours he was driven into a cage and his freedom was over. About two years after this, at San Fran- cisco, while the keepers were feeding the ani- mals, one man ventured too near Wallace’s LIONS 5 cage. The lion suddenly thrust out one paw and tore the man’s arm from the shoulder. As Wallace was noted only for these blood- curdling episodes, I think enough has been told about him. His owner declares him to be double the age of any lion that has ever lived in captivity; he says he has been in captivity fifty years, and that it was fifty years ago that this lion fought the dogs at Warwick Castle in England. He is certainly a notorious lion in many ways, and I have watched him many a time; but, beyond show- ing that he is of a peculiarly savage nature, he does not look any different from any of the other lions, except that he is now begin- ning to show signs of his age. Miss Claire Heliot, who performed with twelve lions at the New York Hippodrome some time ago, had some extremely fine lions, and there was one that interested me very much. He was her best lion and the one she was always photographed with. Some of these photographs which she gave me are truly wonderful, showing the nerve she must 6 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES have to allow such an animal in such close proximity, and also the marvelous control she must have over the lion to make him keep so still. This lion Yula was nearly always amiable and affectionate when with her, but with the men, and on rare occasions with her, he would suddenly flare out with such a burst of pas- sion that he was by no means an animal to be trusted. And yet, at the end of her per- formance, Miss Heliot would take this lion on her shoulders—he weighed nearly five ‘hun- dred pounds—and carry him off the stage! I asked her one day how she managed to do it, and she told me she had had him since he was a young cub; that she had begun to carry him in this manner when he was quite small and that, by constantly doing it day by day, she had been able to bear as heavy a weight as five hundred pounds on her shoulders, keep it there and walk across the floor with it for a few minutes. Towards strangers this lion was anything but amiable. I was in the lions’ stable one Crame Herior anp Her Lion Yuta, wHo 1s BY NO Means an ANIMAL To BE TRUSTED LIONS 7 day talking with Miss Heliot while some re- pairs were being done to the floor of the stables. Consequently it was necessary for me to pass close to the lions’ cages on one side or the other to get into the place at all. Miss Heliot stopped my even attempting to do it as she said they would be sure to catch me with their paws. So she stood in front of her favorite lion, with both hands spread her skirts out to their widest extent, and then told me to go by. I did, but that lion noticed it instantly and, like a flash of lightning, tried to get his paw round Miss Heliot’s skirts and eatch me. Then she talked to him about it reprovingly and the lion’s whole manner altered in the most wonderful manner. When he had leaped up and pushed his paw out through the bars his eyes blazed and his mouth opened a lit- tle, while his whole attitude told of anger and defiance; but, when Miss Heliot talked to him he put his head against the bars, rubbed it against hers, and hung his head afterward in as meek and mild a manner as 8 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES I suppose it is possible for such a wild ani- mal to assume. The well-known lion Baltimore, who nearly killed his trainer, Captain Bonavita, causing his right arm to be amputated, is still in the Bostock show and behaves as he always has behaved. Quiet and slow, apparently fairly good tempered, this lion is only watching for an opportunity to attack some one all the time. He will probably never more perform with twenty-seven in a group, as he did with Captain Bonavita, but he still performs, and will, undoubtedly, one of these days, do his best to overcome another trainer. A full ac-' count of this terrible occurrence is given in “Behind the Scenes with Wild Animals.’’ There is a most interesting lion in the New York Zoological Park. Sultan has proved that some lions, at any rate, do not forget old friends. He came from Carl Hagenbeck’s es- tablishment in Germany and for a time was anything but pleased and contented with America. No doubt he longed for his native home and freedom, but after a while, espe- LIONS 9 cially when he was provided with a congenial companion, Bedouin Maid, he became quiet and contented and is now one of the best tempered lions in captivity. , At the sight of his keeper, he will spring up, go over to the wire netting and rub him. self against it like an old tame eat. Unlike most lions, who seldom care for frivolity, he is quite playful at times, and at a few friendly touches and words from his keeper will roll over on his back, wave his paws in the air ‘and enjoy it as much as any young kitten. His life has not been particularly eventful since his arrival in the Park; one day is much the same as another and, when he is not pacing up and down his cage, he is gen- erally sleeping peacefully. When sleeping, outside influences, the talking of visitors, roar- ings from his neighbors, and the like, are not even noticed by him; he sleeps peacefully through all, not even taking the trouble to open an eye to see what is going on. But one day, when sleeping in this peaceful manner, Mr. Hagenbeck came into the lion 10 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES house and, standing in front of Sultan, said quietly: “Why, there’s my old friend, Sultan!’’ The sound of that voice was like an electric shock to the lion. His sleepiness disappeared as if my magic. With a bound and little curious gutteral growls he was up on his feet and over at the bars, rubbing himself against them, purring his loudest and doing all in his power to show his delight at seeing his old friend again. The two friends shook ‘‘hands’’ warmly, ‘Sultan putting up ‘his paw in the meekest manner. It would have been difficult to say which was the most pleased, the Barbary lion or the dealer in wild animals. Pleased and excited as Sultan was to meet an old friend again, he seemed to forget the incident as soon as it was closed; almost before Mr. Hagenbeck was through the doorway he settled down comfortably, licked his paws, rested his huge head easily on them and calmly finished his nap. Sultan’s wife, Bedouin Maid, distinguished LIONS 1 herself one morning by presenting five fine little cubs to the Park. As three is usually the largest number at a birth, this was quite a large family. The cubs were fine, healthy little specimens who looked about and around their world from the moment they were born —lion cubs are born with their eyes open— mewed like little kittens, and were certainly the prettiest little animals ever seen. Their soft, tawny little bodies were covered with faint dark spots; they were well formed, had neat, nicely rounded heads and looked as though they had all just waked up from a nice refreshing nap. When these cubs were about three months old they had got over the worst of their troubles, teething and the like, and by this time are no longer cubs; there are now only four of them—one having had an accident, and strong, vigorous specimens of young lions they are, now over four years old and nearly full grown. In my many studies of wild animals in captivity, I have always maintained that no wild animal is ever ‘‘tamed,’’ only trained, 12 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES and I still keep the same opinion, although I have seen many wonderful instances of ap- parently ‘‘tame’’ wild animals. In the Mundy wild animal show at Luna Park last year I found two lions, twins, Schley and Dewey, who were born at Co- lumbia, Tennessee, on September 20, 1901. The father and mother are inmates of the same show and are trained animals which are still performing. At first there did not seem to be anything particular or out of the way about either of these animals. They were both well grown, finely developed and ap- parently healthy and weil cared for. But one day when Mr. Mundy was taking me around the show he told me how wonderfully gentle and docile these two animals were, especially Schley. Dewey was only docile to a certain degree, and when put out about anything could get decidedly ugly, and was then dif- ficult to manage. : Schley, on the other hand, up to the: time I met him had never shown even the slightest indications of ill temper or unruliness in any LIONS 13 way or under any circumstances. Mr. Mundy stood close to the bars of the cage and this full grown lion put his two fore paws through the bars round his master’s neck, and not only drew him close to the bars—a frightfully risky thing to do as anyone who knows any- thing about wild animals will understand— but actually played with his head and shoulders in exactly the same manner as a cat will play with a ball or any moving object.. The huge paws, too, I noticed had not their villainous claws sheathed but were drawn in and out, and it is still a marvel to me that the man’s head and shoulders were not torn to pieces. I have watched many blood-curd- ling things in animal shows, many daringly risky things which have been exhibited for my express edification, but I have never seen a more risky thing than that. - ~~ —- |; The proprietor seemed to have no fear whatever and declared that, as he had reared and brought up the animal from a tiny cub, it would never hurt him. But I could not help noticing in the rough play that his shirt 14 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES was torn to strips in some parts and called his attention to it. He admitted that the lion had torn it that morning, but ‘‘only in play.’’ But this lion has certainly done some won- derful things. On one occasion, when at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Schley actually rode on the front seat of Mr. Mundy’s auto- mobile through the streets when there were over 50,000 people present. Of course many precautions were taken and, in case of the slightest sign of an intention on Schley’s part to get down, he would have been shot. But he sat there placidly watching the people, making no movement whatever, except through the motion of the car itself, and ap- peared not only contented but calmly inter- ested in what was going on. On another occasion, when the proprietor of the show gave a jungle dinner, Schley was allowed to come in at the end of the meal, and not only walked in quietly and calmly, but actually got on the table itself and sat there placidly for some time. He looked around LIONS 15 at the many faces, smelled one or two bottles and glasses, sniffed a cigar, which he did not seem to care for, and then quietly jumped off the table and walked to the door as though he had had enough of it. And, in spite of his apparent tameness, there were those in the company who inti- mated that as, after all, he was a wild ani- mal, perhaps it would be just as well not to thwart him, but to let him have his own way. And no one can blame those few who gave a sigh of relief as the door closed, for, how- ever interesting a lion may be at dinner, no one can be quite sure what he will do next; and even a few playful, clumsy gambols might not only turn the tables over, but some of the men themselves, and the falling down of a man, no matter for what reason, is always apt to rouse all the savage instincts of a wild animal, no matter how ‘‘tame’’ or well trained he may be. I watched this lion many, many times last summer, and never once did I see the slight- est sign of fierceness, savagery, or even that 16 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES restlessness which is invariable with wild ani- mals. As so often happens in all animal shows, from some cause or another—and very often without any apparent cause at all— one animal would get excited, roar, or howl according to his nature, and instantly the whole collection would join in roaring, howl- ing, whining, barking, screaming, crying and chattering until one’s head grew dizzy with the noise and deafening din. On all these occasions Schley remained exactly the same as before. While all the other animals in the show were doing their best to let themselves be heard, Schley would keep quite still and quiet. At one time he got up slowly and reluctantly, yawned as if annoyed at being disturbed, looked placidly round the show, and then settled himself comfortably, as though he took no interest in the matter. At another time, when a little terrier ran into the show yelping at the top of his voice in sheer terror, which created a very pan- demonium among the animals, Schley walked LIONS 17 slowly forward to the front of his cage, watched the little terrier wildly and blindly trying to find a way out of the terrible place, and then settled himself on the floor of his cage once more, resting his big head on his fore paws. Although the roarings and erying of the other animals continued for some time in spite of every effort to quiet them, Schley took not the slightest notice, not even when his twin brother, Dewey, rose up, drew in his breath in short, quick gasps, and joined in vigorously. Certainly when feeding time arrives, Schley will then, with the others, pace up and down and become just as impatient as any of them, but it is in a very quiet way, not an excitable, wild manner like the others. He will clutch at his meat greedily, too, but, when he has once got hold of it, his placid manner returns and he eats his meal much in the same way he does everything else, as if he had plenty of time and was not at all uneasy. Even if the men pretend to take the meat away, an action which will generally make 18 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES the tamest animal angry, Schley will look quietly at them, keep a tight hold of the meat and, when they have finished, go on with his meal! I have never seen any wild animal so ap- parently tame, in every way. I say ‘‘ap- parently’’ because, as I have said so many times before, I do not believe in the ‘‘tame- ness’’ of any wild animal, no matter how real it may seem to be. A wild animal is always a wild animal; no training, care, or kindness can ever actually eradicate the inherent sav- agery and fierceness of his nature. There only needs to be something to bring it out. In the majority of wild animals there are certain things which almost invariably do so, but with Schley these things do not seem to count. But one of these days, some little thing will happen, some trifle perhaps, which no one will expect him to even notice, and from some un- known reason, or perhaps no reason at all, that savage nature will suddenly assert it- self and prove that, after all, Schley is a wild animal. If it does not, then, indeed, he de- LIONS 19 serves a monument as one of the most re- markable wild animals that has ever been known in captivity. And up to this time nothing has happened to even ruffle him! A FEW BIG CATS CHAPTER II. A FEW BIG CATS Lopez, Jaguar; CHANG AND Ene, SNow LEOPARDS. T seems to me that The New York Zoo- I logical Park is particularly fortunate in obtaining fine specimens of animals, from the residents in the Lion House down to the smaller rodents in the Small Mammal House. One particularly fine specimen of the cat tribe is Lopez, a full grown male jaguar, noted for - his beauty of form, coloring and size, and also for an act which has made him notorious. He lives in a spacious cage of his own in the Lion House, and his ceaseless pacing up and down, to and fro, is like the coming and going of the tide. There are times when, in spite of his clean, well kept quarters and his good food, Lopez does not seem happy, but it is impossible to tell by appearances with this animal what he 24 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES is feeling or thinking about, for Lopez is one of the most deceitful of his deceitful kind. When in May, 1903, Lopez arrived at the Park, after a somewhat rough journey, he ap- peared, after having got over the scared period which all wild animals pass through after a long journey, to be a playful, genial, good-tempered wild cat. Even before being transfered to his home in the Lion House— and he was one of the very first residents there, having been installed before the house was finished—he showed a disposition to have a quiet game with any one who eared to play with him. He celebrated his first entrance into his new home by rolling on his back, all four paws in the air, and purring loudly. Never, from his first appearance in eaptivity, did Lopez ever snarl, beat himself against the bars of his cage, or show any particular signs of fierceness such as may have been expected from one of his nature. Consequently, when a fine young female jaguar was purchased from Carl Hagenbeck’s establishment in Ham- A FEW BIG CATS 25 burg, for the purpose of becoming a com- panion for him in his solitude, Lopez mani- fested every sign of pleasure and good will. But those who know anything of wild ani- mals never judge by appearances, and, in spite of all the jaguar’s demonstrations of good will, it was deemed advisable to let the newcomer remain in her own cage until they were well acquainted with one another. Her cage was raised to the level of ‘his and the bars were in close proximity to one another. Lopez was more interested than ever and grew so friendly that at last he condescended to put his paw through the bars of the cage and play with her, to which the young jaguar responded. She did not seem to have the slightest fear of him but to be anxious to get into the larger cage, for she had already been in the small cramped one—her travelling cage—for six long weeks. The cages remained in this position for several days and, when no signs of dislike, 26 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES savageness, or displeasure had been noticed by anyone, it was decided, after a consultation between the Director and those in authority, that it was now perfectly safe to admit the young jaguar into the cage of Lopez to be his companion. Both jaguars seemed intensely interested in the opening of the doors, and _ the young female jaguar walked quietly through with a little purr, evidently expect- ing to be warmly welcomed. But the moment that door was opened, the evil and latent treachery in Lopez’s nature came to the sur- face. Evidently, he had not cared for the new jaguar at all and his friendly overtures had meant nothing. His whole attitude changed. His eyes blazed, his fur quivered, his muscles grew rigid and taut and, with a savage, throaty growl, he did as he always had done when killing—sprang at the back of the young jaguar’s neck, inserting his long canine teeth deeply and held on like a bull dog. So fierce and sudden had been the at- tack that the poor young jaguar was power- A FEW BIG CATS 27 less. No available thing could make him even loosen his deadly hold, although the keepers got an iron scraper, a hardwood pole over ten feet long, and any other tools they could find on such short notice. Everything was done that could be done with such a treacherous ‘and savage brute; he was prodded in the face, beaten sharply over the head, and on his feet. He simply shut his eyes tightly and held on to his vic- tim with more force and determination than before. He tried to get away once by raising himself, and carrying the now dying jaguar to the other side of the cage, just as a cat would earry a kitten. ' A whole minute or more passed before he would let go, and then the young jaguar dropped heavily and limply to the floor, where she died in a few minutes. There was a terrible time in getting the body out, for ‘Lopez proved himself to be one of the most ‘villainous and savage brutes ever seen in cap- tivity, and one or two of the men ran some heavy risks, but, when it was finally taken 28 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES out and examined, it was found that two of the neck vertebrae had been completely crushed, while the spinal cord was penetrated by pieces of bone. This is a marvelous fact, especially to those who are able to realize the tremendous force necessary to accomplish this. He must have taken a good, large, square bite, and held on until he was compelled to loosen his hold by sheer force. Many instances have been recorded from time to time of the enormous strength of the jaguar, but I know of no _ other s0 astonishing and overwhelming. We are told by Naturalists that the jaguar’s mode of killing is invariable, that it springs to the back of its victim and, by a sudden, quick movement of its fore paws twists its head round and thus breaks its neck. Lopez sprang to the right side of his unfortunate relation, but he did no twist- ing, no wrenching. He buried his teeth in’ the vertebrae of the neck and crushed it, evidently as easily as an ordinary house cat A FEW BIG CATS 29 ean crush the small, delicate neck of a mouse. And for this offence Lopez, like men, has to take his punishment, although, being only an animal, he, of course, does not know this. And he has been condemned to the most ter- rible punishment of all—solitary confinement for life. For, although anxious to promote the comfort and happiness of their animals in the Park, the Director and others inter- ested do not quite see their way to providing an animal companions to be killed by way of sport. Lopez can be seen in the Lion House at the New York Zoological Park any day from early in the morning to sunset, either pacing restlessly up and down his cage or lying silently and sullenly in one of the corners or on the top of the shelf at the back, watch- ing, with all the slyness and cunning of his treacherous nature, for a chance either to get out or to catch one of the keepers as they go by from time to time. As he paces up and down, mark the beauty 30 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES of his body. The ground color of his fur, a yellowish, tawny fawn, lighter on the flanks and merging into pure white on the under parts. The dark, velvety spots, in the form of irregular rosettes, those on the head, flanks, and lower parts of the limbs being smaller and darker; also the long, furry, graceful tail, spotted and terminating in dark rings at the tip. Note the width and shape of his head, the powerful strength of his shoulders, the mus- cular indications in his forepaws, hindlegs, and feet, and then note, as he stretches forth the five claws on each foot in and out of their sheathes, with what ease he can scrape up the hardwood floor, just as he used to serape all the bark off the trees in his native home. Notice the size and strength of his jaws, the length and power of his teeth, especially the canines at the corners of his mouth, and then, last of all, watch his sly, stealthy movements, the soft, quick footstep, the swift turn of his handsome body as he turns gracefully every time he reaches the end of his cage, and—most important of all—his deep, A FEW BIG CATS 31 cruel, unfathomable eyes, eyes with very lit- tle expression except those of slyness, cun- ning, and craft. Try to attract his attention, to engage his interest. He will go on just the same, pacing the cage silently and gracefully, occasionally stretching his body against the wire netting, and, although he knows perfectly well you are there, he will vouchsafe no acknowledgment of your presence, not even by a growl, for his slyness is past all human understanding and his treachery is not to be estimated by any human being. But for all his wickedness and treachery, Lopez is one of the finest specimens of the jaguar in captivity and one of the most in- teresting animals in the Park. I have watched him carefully for hours at a time, but each time I found there was some new phase to study, some new features to notice, and this personal study is worth all the books and au- thorities in the world. In these days, with the advantages of so many Zoological Gardens and wild animal 32 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES shows, nearly all are familiar with the leopard, and many of us have seen the black leopard, with its jet skin looking like richly watered silk in some lights, its cruel eyes and villainous expression of countenance; but it is a comparatively rare thing to have the op- portunity of studying a white, or Snow Leopard or Ounce, to give it its proper name. Although known to the scientific world for nearly a hundred years, it was a long time before the habitat of this animal was discov- ered in the elevated part of Central Asia. Up to comparatively a few years ago only one living specimen had been obtained for ex- hibition in Europe. This was quite a young one exhibited in the London Zoological Gar- dens in 1891. In spite of every care, how- ever, it only lived a short time after its ar- rival. Since then, another specimen has been procured and is now alive and in good con- dition in these same Gardens. Also, in the Zoological Gardens at Moscow, Russia, there is now a very fine pair of these A FEW BIG CATS 33 animals. Just as fine a pair was procured for the New York Zoological Society, one of which had a most unfortunate history. Chang was a beautiful animal in every way. Like all his kind his fur was much thicker than that of the ordinary leopard and of quite a woolly texteure; white, or rather a whitish gray on top, merging into pure white on the under parts, covered with black irregular spots. This thick fur is an excellent protection against the bitter winter cold of his native home. In the winter it is especially beautiful and, when all the other occupants of the Lion House—with the ex- ception of the pumas—were shut in for the winter, Chang and Eng were out in the sweet, fresh, keen winter air, thoroughly enjoying themselves. After the usual restlessness and discontent among new surroundings, Chang appeared to settle down and become perfectly contented and at his ease. Although naturally savage, he never showed any abnormal expressions of ill temper, and it was taken for granted that, 34 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES provided his health remained good, he would be a resident of the Park for several years to come. But about two o’clock one morning, when all was still and silent in the Park, the watch- man who was stationed outside the Lion House saw something crouching just outside the feed room door. For a few seconds he kept perfectly still, and then saw that the crouching object was a snow leopard. Now, the wisest thing to have done would have been to drive it toward the base of the Lion House, open the door, or rather get some one to do it, and then drive him in. But the wisest things are not always the easiest, and it must be remembered that it was practically in the middle of the night and few others besides the watchman were about. Consequently, the watchman did the best he could on so short a notice; drawing his re- volver he fired no less than five shots at close range and never even touched him. No doubt he was nervous and fired wide of the mark, A FEW BIG CATS 35 but a leopard is not a small object when close by, and it seems an extraordinary thing that not a single shot should even have grazed the animal. Of course the shooting roused every one within earshot, especially the leopard himself, who at once became wild and fierce, although at first he had seemed quiet and frightened as far as the watchman could make out. = He leaped to one place and then to another, until no one knew where he was or what was going to happen next. Men scuttled in all directions to obtain any object of defence they could get hold of, all the while wonder- ing how on earth the animal could have got out. The darkness doubled all the difficulties and did not tend to lessen the nervousness of the men, for, with its cat-like tread and its soft, light spring, there was no telling where the animal might be or whether it might not jump on any one of them at any moment. Fortunately, its white coat occasionally served as some slight guide to its whereabouts and 36 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES at odd moments it could be seen either mov- ing stealthily along some high place, or crouching on some new place on the ground. This went on for two long hours, which seemed like an eternity to the men on the watch. No one thought in the confusion of sending or even telephoning to the Director; there was no knowing what might happen at any moment and I doubt whether any man could have been found who would have cared at that time to go anywhere alone with that wild creature roaming around. At last a policeman in the early morning light saw it crouching on the top of the lit- tle feed cart, as though just ready to spring. He hurriedly procured a shot gun and, taking a careful aim at about a distance of twelve feet, shot the animal dead. It seemed a great pity, after all the amount of money spent in procuring it, and it appeared to be a real grief to Mr. Hornaday when he heard of it. But the animal was dead, and there was nothing to do but to make the best of it. Then came the question of how he could A FEW BIG CATS 37 have got out. The doors and all the open- ings in the Lion House had been hurriedly examined, even while the leopard was still prowling about, but every fastening was just as it had been left the night before, safely barred and locked, and the whole thing ap- peared a mystery until daylight appeared when it was found that the snow leopard had leaped through the skylight glass of his out- door cage! The strength needed for this feat can read- ily be imagined by anyone who cares to take the trouble to look at any of the ordinary thick glass which is used for skylights. The extraordinary thing about the whole matter was that the animal did not appear to have eut himself in any way, but this may have been owing to the thickness of his woolly fur. Extra precautions have been taken now and there is no possibility of Eng, Chang’s mate, or any occupant, getting out in that way. Eng, the remaining snow leopard in the New York Zoological Park, is also a fine speci- 38 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES men but not nearly so fine as Chang was. Many Naturalists tell us that in disposition the snow leopard is far more gentle and ami- able than the ordinary leopard, or the black leopard, and that it has rarely been known to molest a human being. Of course, I can- not presume to say this is or is not so, never having studied creatures in their native haunts, but all those I have seen in captivity most certainly do not appear to be either gen- tle or amiable and I have personally known of many instances where they have shown a decided disposition to fly at human beings. For instance, Eng shows every sign of a vicious and fierce nature and, when I have been standing in front of his cage, has opened his mouth to its widest extent, hissed and sworn at me, while his cruel eyes have changed color in the most curious and fer- ocious manner. Sometimes his face will wrinkle up into a snarl, or sneer, and then he will come forward, sometimes with a quiet, stealthy tread; at others with a marvelously quick, light spring; but there is always the Mae. Morerii ann Her Ceresratep Leorarp Car- TOUCHE, wWHo Is Norep For His SAVAGENESSAND UnTAMABILITY A FEW BIG CATS 39 same inclination which no one can doubt who watches him carefully; his wish is evidently to spring at me and not with any purpose of play, either. His deadly intention is written plainly on this evil face, and his throaty breathing each time he is baffled proves his keen disappointment in not being able to ac- complish it. There is a leopard in the Bostock Animal Show called Cartouche, who is noted for his savageness and untamability, although he has been performing for years and is considered one of the best in the exhibition. He has nearly killed ‘his trainer three or four times, and yet Madame Morrelli is still fearless of him, dares and defies him, and even consents to be photographed with him facing and sitting close to her, one of the most daring and risky things anyone can do. It will be noticed that she has her right arm stretched out behind his neck, and that her whip, her only means of defense, is in her left hand. One stroke from the paw of this animal and she would have no time 40 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES either to transfer the whip to the other hand, or to keep him off in any other way. And yet she runs just such risks as this every day of her life, and is still living to tell the tale! CELEBRATED BEARS CHAPTER III. CELEBRATED BEARS. Petz, Russian Brown Bear; Carsar, BLACK Bear; SNow, Pouar Bear; Czar, SYRIAN Berar. N the Buffalo Zoo some few years ago I there were two Russian brown bears, both extremely fine specimens and both wonder- fully gentle and good tempered. The following story is another instance, I think, of how very uncertain the dispositions of the wild animals are and how some trivial incident will often not only bring out all their viciousness and savagery, but permanently alter their dis- position. One spring Dr. Crandall, the Superin- tendent, had a gang of iron wire fencers put- ting a six-foot fence round the top of the bear pit in place of the three-foot fence which had been there when he took charge of the 44 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES Zoo. Pete had on several occasions shown a disposition to be restless and it was thought better to take every precaution. Among the workmen employed to make this fence round the bear pit was an Italian, Angelo Natalio, who, anxious to show his fel- low workmen how brave and fearless he was, climbed down from the top of the pit and stood on what are known as the ‘‘safety hooks,’’? which are iron hooks turned down- wards to prevent any chance of the bears get- ting out. When standing on these hooks he would tease the bears, a most dangerous and foolhardy thing to do. As he was doing this one day Dr. Crandall came along and at once ordered him up, tell- ing him if he ever found him there again he would send him going for good. At the same time Dr. Crandall called the attention of the contractor to the matter, telling him that the men did these things at their own risks, that there was not the slightest need of any of them going down there and that the authorities would not be responsible. The CELEBRATED BEARS 45 contractor realized the danger, and warned all the men that no such foolishness must occur again. And yet at four o’clock that same after- noon, when the Superintendent was standing in front of the bear pit, he heard a wild yell of pain and terror, and, looking up, saw the Italian standing on the same hooks again, but this time with one foot drawn between the hooks by Pete, the big Russian brown bear, who had fastened his claws into the man’s boot. The bear then pulled the Italian’s foot through the hooks, took the foot in hissmouth and sat down, the man being dragged finally _ through, yelling at the top of his voice, and nearly mad with terror. The police were summoned and ran to the top of the den with guns. One policeman promptly fired and shot the bear in the hump, whereupon Pete promptly picked the man up in his mouth and carried him in front of the cage, where Dr. Crandall was trying to unlock the gate. By putting the man down just in front of the gate the bear completely bar- 46 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES ricaded the gateway, making it impossible for anyone to get in. Thereupon Dr. Crandall rushed up to the top of the pit, took a gun from the police- man, and shot the bear three times, each time sending him down with a thud, but the bear only stayed down for about twenty seconds each time. By this time the Italian had pulled himself away from the bear and tried to get away from the cage by climbing over the hooks, but got caught by the hooks. By this time Dr. Crandall had got into the cage itself and drove and fought the bears back into their sleeping dens, while the policemen and keepers took the man out and sent him to the hospital. The man was in the bear pit not more than five minutes altogether, but stayed in the hospital nearly five months, and it was a question for awhile as to whether he would live or not. From this time Pete was a different animal. Savage, fierce, vindictive, he seemed to be on the lookout for any opportunity to vent his evil nature upon some one; some time after CELEBRATED BEARS 47 this, when being fed, he caught the keeper’s hand and bit it completely off at the wrist! Since then Pete has been kept in solitary con- finement, for not once since the episode with the Italian has he ever shown the slightest signs of gentleness or amiability. Whether the three bullets, which are still in his body, have anything to do with this, of course, we do not know, but there is a possibility. This sudden change of disposition in wild animals is constantly showing itself. In the New York Zoological Park there are three Syrian bears in one den. These are consid- ered, in some ways, the most amiable of the bear tribe, and it is generally Syrian bears whom the Italians and Frenchmen train to dance at the end of a pole. The big bear in this den, Czar, had always been considered a fairly good tempered bear, but quite suddenly in May of 1906 Czar nearly killed his keeper and since then has given many indications of viciousness. Caesar is a black bear in this same park who has quite a history. He was presented to 48 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES a hotel keeper on Long Island when quite a cub and brought up as a pet. He was treated so much like one of the family that a chair was always set for him at table and he was made to sit up at meals and behave like a gentleman. He was allowed to run about the house and grounds, and was friendly with all the people he met. But in time, when he grew bigger, the guests began to object to being met at the threshold by a large black bear and, when Caesar began to grow some- what rough in his ways and capers, it was considered wise to put him away before he did any damage. Accordingly, a letter was sent to the Di- rector of the New York Zoological Park of- fering a young black bear as a gift if he would send and fetch it away. Thinking it was only a small bear, the keeper journeyed down to Long Island with an ordinary sized packing case and found the bear was nearly twice the size of the packing case! Nothing else could be found large enough to hold Caesar, so the keeper had to go all the way CELEBRATED BEARS 49 back and fetch another box. Then Caesar was led out of the shed by one ear, walked calmly into the wooden case, and journeyed to the Park, which has since been his home. He seemed a little puzzled by his relatives at first and did not understand their rough way of handling him. It was feared for a while that the other bears would kill him in their fights. But one morning when another bear presumed to give Caesar a little reproof in the shape of a knock down, Caesar sud- denly gave a growl, went for the other bear, and taught him such a lesson that he did not forget it. The rest of the bears seemed duly impressed, and the keepers then knew there was no need to trouble about him. He has always been eonsidered one of the most good tempered and amiable bears in the Park, and yet one day when his keeper was cleaning out his cage, Caesar suddenly went behind him and, without the slightest provocation, bit him in the neck! The most interesting bear at present, how- ever, in the New York Zoological Park is 50 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES Snow, the big Polar bear, who killed the mate provided for him, as Lopez the jaguar did his, but in a totally different way. Snow had lived alone for some time. He is a fine speci- men, standing about fifty inches in height, seven feet two inches in length, and weigh- ing about 800 pounds. He had always ap- peared a normally dispositioned Polar bear, and had lived a seemingly contented life. But last spring (1907) when Mr. Hagen- beck brought over a fine young female Polar bear for the Park, he suggested at once that she be put with Snow as a companion. Mr. Hornaday, the Director, did not at all ap- prove of this suggestion. Polar bears are costly animals and, he concluded, after his experience with Lopez, the jaguar, it would be better to let the young Polar bear live by herself than run any chance of being killed almost as soon as she arrived. Many arguments and pursuasions were brought to bear upon him, while Mr. Hagen- beck assured him there was not the slightest danger of Snow killing the young bear; he CELEBRATED BEARS 51 would naturally be only too pleased to have her for a companion, especially after having been alone such a long time. For some time Mr. Hornaday held out. From personal ex- perience he had learned that it was impossible to form any true estimate of what a wild animal will, or will not, do. Many cases were cited to make him partly alter his opinion and after some time he consented to allow the newcomer to be put close to the den of Snow just to see what he would do. Snow did just what Mr. Hagenbeck said he would do. He was undoubtedly extremely pleased to see a relative of his own once more, came forward at once and sniffed noses in the most friendly manner, put his paw through the bars into the young bear’s cage and play- fully patted her. The young Polar bear also seemed pleased and was evidently most anxious to get into his den, which was very much bigger than her cramped quarters, and which she could see contained a nice large swimming pool, always a great need and lux- ury to bears, but especially Polar bears. 52 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES But still Mr. Hornaday held out; it seemed a pity to run any risk of losing such a valu- able newcomer. But the two bears grew more and more friendly as the days went by and when, after a whole week nothing but friend- liness had been noticed, he finally gave his consent, but still with reluctance, to put the two bears together. Accordingly, one day, the gate of Snow’s den was opened, the shifting door of the young Polar bear’s cage was lifted up and she walked through into her new home. Mr. Hornaday was still nervous about it and half expected even then that the bears would dis- agree, but Snow came forward and met his new partner, sniffed noses again, and both appeared interested and friendly. And then, still in a casual, half friendly manner, Snow caught hold of the neweomer by the throat and held on, seemingly half in play and half in earnest. He let go after a few minutes, and the young bear seemed a trifle puzzled as to what he was going to do next. Then, in a rougher CELEBRATED BEARA 53 manner, he suddenly caught hold of his new friend again, and this time began to shake and wrestle with her. It was difficult to make out as first what he really meant, but the impression he gave was that, probably be- cause he had been alone so long, he wanted a good wrestling bout just for exercise. But when this wrestling got too rough and it was seen that Snow had his teeth fastened deeply in the young bear’s throat, Mr. Hornaday picked up a large board and pushing it in against the bars, rammed the side of Snow with all his might, helped by the others pres- ent. But it made no more impression than a fly on a wall, and Snow still held on.