EXPERIMENT WITH "ZOO BABIES"

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 78, 29 September 1938, Page 19

EXPERIMENT WITH "ZOO BABIES"

At the Leipzig Zoological Garden an interesting experiment is being tried out by the director, who employs trained kindergarten teachers to look -after his small beasts of prey, states the "Sydney Morning Herald." The young girl in charge of the "zoo babies" admitted that though she used to teach children she prefers "to take care of bears' children, because they are much more amusing and not so problematic as the children I was trained to look after." "Women understand best how to bring up children. Therefore, I tried to let them take care of my little animals of prey,", said the director of the Leipzig Zoological Garden. "The experiment is now in its second summer, and I am glad to say that it is proving a great success. The girls play all the day with the animals, and by and by the beasts get accustomed to humans, and later on. they are fit for sale."-

"Would you allow me to enter the cage?" the reporter asked the director. "I want to take photographs, but I don't want to take them through the cage." . The director shook his head and said: "No correspondent in our town would ask such a question. The -lions in the big cage are only one year old, but some -time ago at another place a woman was torn by even younger ones. But if you are careful and talk over the matter with the.'kindergartnerin' (the young woman in charge), we will see what we can do." During their conversation they walked up towards the "tierkindergarten" and saw a young girl driving towards them in a baby car. "Here she is," said the director. The reporter shook hands 'with the girl, and she proudly showed her babies —two sweet little lions. "It is not easy to drive these lively little ones through the zoological- garden," she explained, "I must take care that they don't jump out of the car. They are cats, you see, and very quick. Once one of the cubs ran away. The other one followed and I had such a lot of trouble to catch them!" In reply to a request to be ed to take photographs in the cages, the teacher said, "You may try. Dress yourself just as I am dressed, in a white apron, and we will see if my friends will be kind or not. On any account, you must be very careful. Remember, they are animals of prey. They are my best friends now, but even I wouldn't enter the cage without my two sticks. I can't play with them without my two sticks, because sometimes I must keep them away, when they come too near, though I never beat them. There is only one of them I can trust enough to put my hand near his cheek. But I wouldn't risk that always. When1 he is not absolutely^ quiet, it would irritate him if

KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS EMPLOYED

I went so near to him, and he would snap. Playing with a lion, one always has to be watched. If you tease him he could hurt you easily with his claw.