A LION WITH A GLASS EYE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 275, 13 August 1908, Page 8

A LION WITH A GLASS EYE.

EXCITING OPERATION IN A CIRCUS.

A strange and unrehearsed scene took place -in the jungle of Bostock's Circus at Earl's Court, London, recently, when, an attempt was mado to equip one of the big forest lions .with a glass eye. Tho necessity for' this'arise out .of a fight which took place a fow, weeks ago ..between "Nero" and "Brutus," who , had a serious quarrel over a young 'lioness. ' " Nero" was severely lacerated, and lost .'an eye. Tho strength and eriergies-'o'f nine men, armed with ropes and chains, and prongs, were required to prepai'b"',tho,'. animal.,f,or the operation. First of all a- strong chain was hitched round his neck',' and He was Miauled close up against the" bars of his cage. Six men held him in this' position while three others _ cleverly passed ropeS round the fore and hind legs. For a long time the animal fiercely resisted, but was eventually thrown to tho floor of his cago and strongly scoured in tho position required for, the operation. Morphia was then injected In tho right foreleg by tho surgeon,' Mr. E.'H. Scott, M.R.C.V.S., tho lion moanwhile ( in a frenzy of fear and anger, fiercely crunching a thick wooden gag, which had been placed in his mouth. Fivo grains had to. bo administered beforo the animal, was sufficiently _ quiet _ for tho oyo to be fixed. Once tho lion quietened down, the insertion of.the.eye .occupied, but a moment, and was performed between',the bars from the outside of the cage. ;; Unfortunatoly, the moment f Nero" was released ho succeeded in shaking the eye out. It is the custom in fitting in artificial eyes to use a small ono first and exchange it after a week or two for a larger one, and it was tho purpose of tho surgeon to do so..in. this caso. The wliolo business, however,; j,was fraught with difficulties,' it being very hard, in tho first place, to gauge the required size. A largor cyo will be inserted, vory shortly. This is the first operation of-the kind ever porformcd on a lion.--" Evening Standard."