TRAINING TIGERS

Evening Star, Issue 19985, 1 October 1928, Page 1

TRAINING TIGERS

Tigers are extremely sensitive and highly strung animals,'and if upset in anv way are exceedingly dangerous to approach. They cannot ho tamed, but they can be trained to perform tricks and’ to answer to their names. A tiger is much quicker to grasp what, is required oi him si;nl lo respond to Ins cues than is a lion. Caro must always ho taken., however, when in their company (writes Mabel Stark. American woman tiger trainer). A tiger will not attack one intentionally,'’hut if through some unforeseen accident it is frightened or startled it is' likely to do so. just as a dog will when accident ally trodden on. Pome time ago I was badly mauled by one of my animals through accidentally lulling on top ol him during a wrestling match.

There'is a fallacy that when a tiger once testes human blood he becomes an incorrigible man-caier. Ibis is untrue. I cannot recollect a single instance of a tiger consumin': a human being alter mauling him unless driven lo it through hunger. On several occasions a tiger of mine has drawn blood, but after the fright of the moment has passed 1 have never had any difficulty in ordering the animal hack to its corner. Cubs born in captivity arc usually taken from their mother a few days after their birth and brought, up on goat's milk. It would he latal to handle the cubs or take them into the light during the first few days. f-ffioukl anyone do so the mother would instantly kill (he cubs by dashing them against the sides of her den. Training a tiger requires considerable patience and perseverance, hut it is not difficult lo leach if handled the right way. Aliogether it look, me six months lo train one ol my tigers to wrestle. 1 used to go through the various morions carefully and. systematically each day until the animal began to understand what was required of him and answer to his cues. .

When in the ring the only weapon I earr.y is a .small whip, which is useful more as a guide than a corrector. The best, age at which to start breaking iu a tiger is between two and two and-a-half years, After five years they become ton short-tempered and sensitive, but if trained young they can lie 'worked up to sixteen and seven teem years. They are then usually sold to zoos where they will often live to twenty-five or thirty-five, A tiger’s diet is simple but requires strict supervision, it is fed ebieliy on beef which must bo warm and freshtigers will uni touch frozen beef—with eegs and milk a# a change. Animals tiro of the same kind of food just ns do human being-. They are also regularly dosed with medicines during captivity to keep them in trim.