Show Lions Walk Tightrope Seals Ride Horseback Lions that walk tightropes and seals that ride horseback are two of the latest attractions produced by crack animal trainers In the circus cir ctr cus world new bags of tricks are necessary every year or so and now that motion pictures are demanding demanding de de- manding wild animals to do tasks that seem almost miraculous trainers train ers era are educating their animals to perform stunts of which no one dreamed before Teaching a lion to walk two swaying swaying sway sway- ing tightropes high in the air seems like a nearly impossible task until an experienced trainer tells how he does It says Popular Mechanics Magazine Charles Charle Gay who has hasa a tightrope walking tightrope walking lion at his lion farm at El EI Monte Calif starts start to teach his cubs tricks when they are nine months old after their trainers have gained their trust through frequent petting and feedIng feeding feed feed- ing Teaching a lion to walk the tightrope tightrope tight tight- rope takes about six months of steady training says ays Gay We start with a wide plank 10 feet long longon on supports a few feet off oft the I ground We tempt the animal to walk this plank by leading It with witha a piece of meat After it has s I learned it will be rewarded for walking walk walk- walking ing we remove a central support allowing the plank to bounce and sway under the animals animal's weight Next we substitute two narrow planks for the wide one gradually training the lion to walk the narrower narrower nar rower planks until he finds himself walking a couple of pieces of two- two four by-four planks The next step Isto is isto isto to substitute one and quarter one Inch iron pipes then thick steel cables which the lion can grasp I with his hil skid non-skid pads and finally the smaller maller cables on which he performs per forms his act During all aU this time we gradually gradual ly lengthen and heighten the supports supports sup sup- ports so the animal finally learns to walk ropes 20 or Of 30 feet long that may be 20 feet in the air During During Dur ing the first part of the training the lion ma may take an occasional spill so we use a pile of wood shavings under the planks as a safety mat |