TRICKS OF ANIMALS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 78, 29 September 1934, Page 21

TRICKS OF ANIMALS

CRAVING FOR NOTICE

SIMILAR TO HUMANITY

How far animal performances are desirable is a question that will probably novcr be settled to the satisfaction of all parties. The matter was made the subject of a special Parliamentary inquiry only a few years ago, and. it is no part of the present article to revive what, at best, is a highly controversial subject (says a writer in the London "Observer"). . Tho fact remains that many animals havo a natural aptitude for devising certain tricks which appeal to their human patrons, and, realising this, apparently exploit such little "stunts'? for their own gain. Tho motive may be cupboavd-love, or, in the case of the higher animals, sheer love of limelight and popular applause. Some- years ago a polar bear at the London Zoo developed a remarkable aptitude for' demolishing umbrellas. By chance a visitor used his umbrella to push a piece of food within the bear's roach. The animal seized and quickly disintegrated it, and was apparently so gratified by the delight of the onlookers that from thence onwards umbrellabreaking became an obsession. The beast would actually bait a trap by always leaving a piece of food apparently just out of its reach and in such a position as to inspire some unsuspecting "good Samaritan" to use his umbrella to push it towards the bear. Tho umbrella was then straightway placed beyond all further usefulness. Many of the tricks performed by trained sea lions are evidently the merest variant of what the animals do in tho wild—but in the wild they are only indulged in when the animals chance to be "in the mood." * WATER POLO. That extraordinary suppleness of neck which enables the sea lion to throw into the air the fish caught broadsido on and catch it in a manner more convenient for swallowing can find other uses apart from those imniediatcl. c ncerned with food. When' in particularly high spirits, the Zoo sea lions can sometimes be surprised in a sort of impromptu water polo match. Sticks, oranges, etc., which, of course, should not find their way into the pond—but do—may be tossed from one to the other and literally juggled with to a surprising extent, and one realises how, by assistance or discreet bribery, such tricks may easily be called up at the will of the human in charge. , Even anti-evolutionists will admit that tho higher apes possess a mental equipment very similar though admittedly inferior to our own. The limita-' tions of these creatures are only now being thoroughly explored, and their powers for learning appear to be such that it is hard to say where certain of their actions should be classed as mere tricks or second nature. Tho chimpanzee tea party at the Zoo, for example, cannot be rightly classed as a mere "performance." The apes have lived in close proximity to man, with the result that many of his ways have been acquired subconsciously. The members of the party have shared so many meals with their keeper offstage" that it docs not occur to them to mishandle the food or table service. These highly-organised animals are self-conscious to a degree, and know in an instant whether the laughter of the crowd is with or at them. Some years ago a young chimpanzee, soon after his arrival, was taken by tho writer to his homo to make one of a luncheon party. In spite of the fact that he was entirely untrained, uemg fresh from the Congo forest, he sat at. table", and, as a result of watching tho behaviour of his fellow-guests, | drank out of a glass and made use of tablo implements. LOST CONTROL. All went well until the end of the meal, when a bowl of cherries—the chimpanzee's favourite fruit—appeared. For a moment the primitive asserted itself and tho little ape, shrieking with ■joy and excitement, plunged his hands deep into the bowl with a noticeable forgetfulness of the conventions. Whereas he had up to this point largely joined in the laughter, the burst of merriment occasioned by his sudden lapso caused him at once to drop the hastily-snatched fruit and cover his face in a paroxysm of embarrassment. The chimpanzee above all creatures has a great weakness for the plaudits of the crowd. The famous "Consul," who appeared many years ago at the London Hippodrome, was ono one occasion taken to a circus in Paris, where he was struck by tho manner in which a popular clown evoked laughter and applause by certain whimsicalities. Ho watched this performance at a matinee with the intentness of a mathematician engaged in some intricate problem. "Consul," who was appearing at a neighbouring theatre, introduced at the evening performance sonio of tho self-samo tricks into his own repertoire—with highly gratifying results. A few creatures other than mammals appear to have some appreciation of publicity for its own sake. Many of the Zoo parrots engage in eccentric dances when visitors appear, and one can scarcely doubt that they have grasped the fact that some action at a propitious moment brings them into the limelight. Some years ago a parrot stationed in that part of tho Zoo which skirts the Regent's Canal would amuse itself by shouting "Whoa" on the approach of a barge drawn by horses. The trick never failed to produce the immediate stoppage of the horse and a stream of rhetoric from tho highly-incensed bargee. Though the stoppage of the horse and tho resulting effects on its master gave the bird evident satisfaction, his chief pleasure lay with the crowd which collected and # audibly showed its appreciation of his cleverIn conclusion, thore can be little doubt that tho tricks of many performing animals haye J their origin in the animals themselves. They aro often actuated by tho same instinct which inspires so many humans to engage in strange feats of skill of endurance—the instinct to enjoy—at whatever cost of dignity—tho glamour of publicity.