WIRTH'S CIRCUS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 69, 20 March 1908, Page 6

WIRTH'S CIRCUS.

Mr. Phil Wirth. who is now on a tour in Europe in search of new attractions fur Wirth Brothers' Circus, writes to a frienu in Auckland telling something of uhat he has seen in his travels. Naturally he divells on the wild animals he has seen in the great menageries visited. His iett.c-r has the following interesting paragraph regarding baby elephants:—• At no garden can one see ?o many baby animals, probably, as at Mr. Carl Mage.nbock's wonderful zoo in Hamburg. When I 1 visited it a few weeks ago 1 saw and handled baby lion:-, tigers, leopards, | various kinds of deer and pretty gazelles, while there were also in the park baby elephants and baby rhinoceroses. Mr. Hagenbeek is a great animal dealer, so has always v number of animals on hand; for instance, he had nine young elephants, six of the African species and three Indian elephants. But it was the two little baby elephants, aged respectively six and eight weeks, that interested mc most. They were born on the way from Assam to Europe. ,They were delightful little creatures that followed their mothers patiently about the grounds. ] tramped round the grounds with them several times. Sometimes the babies would stop, attracted by something, or take, a bun or a biscuit out of a child's hand: then they would dash forward, not stopping until they reached their parents' side. The keeper once turned the little ones round; he then placed the big elephants in opposite positions to those which they had occupied before, to see if the little ones would quickly recognise their own mothers. As soon as the youngsters were free they turned round and ran to their rightful parents without the least hesitation: they knew their mothers as well as the human species. Mr. Wirth says he has sent out. to his brother George the greatest animal act in the world, performed by fieri- Batty. The act consists of six full-grown lions performing together with a number of leopard-, bears, am! a couple of boarhounds. forming wonderful tableaux and a mostcNeitintc and mixed finale. It is claimed to bo absolutely the greatest of all his many wonderful wild animal turn?, llagenboek has the largest 7.00 in the world, and breeds his own wild animals. .■is well as buys all the available animals in India and Africa: lie supplies nearly all the zoos in the world with animals and birds, and he has huge training quarters near Hamburg (Germany). This net the acme of wild animal trainin"-. tor he makes the animals perform together feats that would be marvellous for or cats to perform. This <*reat act will be shown in Auckland during ~ f- 3 *"" whHl °P«is on Tuesday, March 31st.