Show animals commit suicide when alone in circus do animals commit suicide was asked of a man who for 30 years waa head animal man of atie zoo 0 a great circus yes animals do commit suicide he replied and often for the same reasons hit cause humans to take their own lives probably the most pronounced of these are loneliness homesickness loss of mates or children and health there are animals that periodically have a return of the suicidal mania and which can only be saved from self destruction by the most careful treatment As a rule however when the animal has made up its mind to die nothing can prevent it and the keeper not only tor humane reasons but also be cause an animal in that condition Is extremely danger ous Is often compelled to end the animal s sufferings by hastening ts death the suicidal mania in tha lion is often developed after Us mate has been taken away when the tiger attempts murder it Is necessary to tie him down but even this Is not always effective the mania tor self destruction often continues tor days though apparently subdued by enforced helplessness but the creature Is crafty and while pretending to be meek and resigned to existence will watch tor the llast ophor eunity after being released to inflict wounds that will be fatal one would scarcely imagine that such a seemingly in sensate animal as the hippopotamus would ever be guilty of suicidal mania but it Is a fact that a hippo captured wild and confined in a cage will give every evidence of homesickness home bickness and the only way to prevent the beast from committing harl karl Is to keep him well fed and to surround him with animal company e never had but one hippopotamus that was guilty of suicide having injured his leg he was replaced on the road by another specimen and left behind at the win ter quarters the loneliness wis too much for the ani mal and he resisted all efforts to make him cheer up or take his food ha literally starved himself to death I 1 hale known of several instances where giraffes did away with themselves by starvation and my impression Is that loneliness is the usual cause tor it each case that came under my observation was where only one of the animals was owned by the zoo it la an absolute cruel ty to exhibit one of these sensitive animals alone they must have company of their own kind to be contented extreme care Is taken with their diet nothing but the best clover hay will they touch and you can t tool them with alfalfa as we tried to last season upon the coast ahey are very fond of 6 vegetable mash and we give them large quantities of condensed milk no there is nothing phenomenal about this suicidal mania in animals it is simply another proof of a tact that I 1 have always maintained that in their general characteristics there Is mighty little difference between some animals and many men except the power of speech |