TERRIBLE LION FIGHT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 95, 21 April 1906, Page 13

TERRIBLE LION FIGHT.

TWO HOITIIS' BATTLE OF TWENTY SE.VE.2f MADDENED ANMALS.

Writing of hairbredth escapes In wild animal shows, a Fellow of the Zoological Sαeiety tells of .1 terrific combat that once occurred in the arena among fwenty seven. lions. Several new lions had lately arrived, and the old- ones were for days, jealous and. suspicious, anil, showed a. nasty! temper. Accordingly tile- trainer had to atop hia- performances for a timfc

At length. He decided upon, a rehearsal. He had considerable trouble in jetting the lions our. and when, the- first ene finally appeared it was not in the alow stately manner , in which he usually entered but In a quiefe. restless -way. which showed ha was still in an excitable state- He waa followed by seventeen others, and all in the same nervous condition.

Instead of getting on the pedestals in their nsnal way, the lions, with one exception, began ta sniff at the corners of t3e arena where the newcomers had been exercising. Their fierce natures were excited by Jealonsy. and it soon* culminated 1 in rage and passion, so that when ene lion 1 presumed to go over to a corner and follow up the sniffing- ot another, the latter turned upon him and bit turn savagely. Tie other promptly retaliated, and iit the twinkling of an eye they were fighting: fiercely. The temper <vT the others flashed np Tike , jjunpowder, and- almost instantly seventeen Uon3 were engaged in a wild.

free flght,

The one bis fellow who had climbed on his pedestal when he entered still sat there, and at this moment the remaining nine lions appeared in the arena followed by their trainer. The animal 3 rushed forward into* battle; the big- lion with an ugly snarl leaped from his pedestal into the thick of thp fray, and in au instant twenty seven full grown lions werfc fighting with teeth and <>laws. their gigantic muscular strength augmented by ragp. passion, and jealousy. And in the midst of It all stood one man. calm, aelf-poseessed, but with every nerve and muscle at their highest tension, for he knew better than anyone else that his lifft huns in the balance.

The trainer vainly tried to regain authority over the fighting beasts. The lions were no longer the puppets of" a show, but were now the monarchs of the forest, wild and savage. Seeing his power gone. the man did his befet to save his own life. He succeeded in getting out, thanks to his powerful nerve — for he bad to jump over the backs of the figntlng animals— but in doing so he a deep wound in the shoulder.

There was nothing to do but let them "fight it out," -which, they did.

For two hours that awfnl battle raged, and when the lions were exhausted the trainer, wounded, as he ■was, went in and drove them to their cages. Some of the lions were seriously injured, but they had fought themselves out and the next week they went through their performances as mildly as kittens.