| Show I WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY Washington Star Head Keeper Blackburn Black-burn of the national zoo is probably as well acquainted with animals as any man i of his age in the world He was what is known as keeper of the cats with a I circus and has had a great experience with all kinds and varieties He does not fear any of them and they seem to be aware of the fact j Recently in conversation with a Star reporter I re-porter he said that in order to handle animals i ani-mals properly as in everything else the person must understand them thoroughly S They have much more sense and understanding 1 under-standing he says than they are generally given credit for They can tell in an instant in-stant when any one is afraid of them and I will take advantage of it in a moment At the same time he says nerve is not everything requisite in going among wild beasts with impunity Their moods and tempers chang just the same as do those of persons and treatment which will be well received one day will prob w1 ably invite an attack another jf there is any familiarity to be indulged in-dulged in between a keeper and an lulged animal said Mr Blickburne always let it come from the man and never from the beast I he wants to pet an animal all well and good but he must never let one of them have an idea that it can presume pre-sume to jolly a keeper I this takes place control is lost over the animal as it immediately imagines it is as capable of running things as its keeper The old adage that familiarity breeds contempt Is never more truly exemplified than between a keeper and an animal j I l lr L l There is a great deal of difference in the methods of training animals I should much rather have to deal with a spirited animal which would most likely make an 1 utiuuipt TO attack the first time one entered en-tered the cage than with one which would sneak around and try to get out of the way The former animal cjin be trained td do almost anything as I shows its superior su-perior intelligence in making an elfort to defend itself A sneaky animal I have found can never be subOMed or trusted at any time One that will has every appearance ap-pearance of being mortally in fear when us cage is entered and will strive to gtt away will spring in a moment if ones b Is turned There is a difference < in the caste of j animals even Dunk the large elephant is a much higher caste animal than Gold Dust That can be told almost from looking look-ing at the two animals Dung is tractable and belle He seems to unuerstand that I i is much better for him to be so than i otherwise not because he is afraid of punishment pun-ishment On the other hand Gold Dust is apparently uocile because he is afraid that he will get the worst of I if he does anything wrong The other has naturally I no desire to overstep the bounds Gold Dust is more of a scrub elephant and he I looks it No matter how much he is fed j i he will not become fleshy There Is almost OosiI cn in f I the cgjlr most same difference in their manner of eating when one watches it as there is between that of a highly refined society woman and a lowdown tramp Just watch them I Hay was thrown to both the animals Gold Dust hardly waited for It I to touch j the df in laJ Ktw of him egrou he i j whipped out his trunk grabbed up a bunch of i indiscriminately and shoved it I into his mouth as if he had been a man taking a huge bite of bread Dunk carefully care-fully spread out his hay taking a wisp i of i at a time the choicest portions I I until he had made a roll about a foot in length and two or three inches thick I V hen it had been arranged to his taste he put it into his mouth and chewed it I up finishing it before beginning on some I more The other elephant had eaten all I j of his hay before Dunk had half finished his I was simply a display on a large I scale of the table manners of Beau Brummel and a hobo I |
