TIGERS LOOSE ON DECK

Evening Star, Issue 21811, 29 August 1934, Page 3

TIGERS LOOSE ON DECK

EXCITING EXPERIENCE IN INDIAN OCEAN GREW TURN ANIMAL TAMERS [Special to ran ' Stab.’] AUCKLAND, August 28. Alongside Prince's wharf to-day the steamer Fordsdalo is Just au ordinary ship discharging ordinary cargo, hut she lias a story of a kind that one does not expect to find outside the realms of fiction, a true story of wild animals roaming her decks, and of armed officers of the mercantile marine tiger stalking on the ship in the middle of tho Indian Ocean. it was when the Fordsdalo "'as a unit of the Aberdeen and Commonwealth Line’s fleet that she sailed from London for Fremantle with a varied collection of wild animals as unwilling passengers. In one cage there were two bears; in another a line pair of tigers; in a third two panthers; and in a fourth a snow leopard. To make the ship even more like a floating zoo, there were also on deck, a python, an agouti, some Canadian tree bears, a lively family of monkeys, some quail, and an assortment of oilier birds. During the days of the Fordsdale occupied in steaming from the Mediterranean into the Indian Ocean, the two bears, which on the early part of the voyage had appeared almost friendly, showed definite signs of mounting tempers, and continually wrenched at the bars which held then prisoners. At last tho beasts’ efforts brought success, and, unnoticed by anyone on board, they lumbered out from their small prison. A sailor who was going aft to road the log at eight bells spotted the bears coming towards him, and immediately lost all interest in any everyday information that the log might, contain. He made a beeline for the bridge to give the alarm to the mate. One of tho bears playfully followed the sailor to the foot of the ladder, and made as if to climb it, only ta change its mind and amble away elsewhere. A general alarm brought most of the ship’s company dn deck to Thatch the bears from a safe distance. All on board realised that the animals would have to be recaptured, but how? The feeling of the men turned to real alarm when they saw the bigger of the bears walk up to the cage lioldmg the tigers, and deliberately tear the door from its hinges. With tigers as well as bears at large on the ship, the captain did not hesitate to arm his officers, although it was made clear that the bullets should fly only if a real emergency arose. Not content with having the tigers as companions, the bears similarly attacked some of the other cages, and an agouti was followed to freedom by Canadian tree bears, and some of the monkeys. Waiting his chance, a member of the crew slipped along to the tigers’ cage, and threw a large piece of raw meat inside, and it was this bait that eventually enticed the most dangerous of beasts back to captivity. Keeping one eye open for possible at tack by the, bears, one of the crew nailed up the cage again. With the tigers under control, tho ship’s company turned their attentions to the other animals. A high barricade hastily constructed by the carpenter kept some of them on tho after deck, and one by one they were got back to their cages. One of the bears, which had refused to have its wanderings restricted, was lassooed. With the dangerous animals again in captivity, the Fordsdale’s company set about tho task of recapturing tho other escapees more happily. Sonic of the monkeys, it was discovered, had amused themselves by raiding one of the bird cages and killing the occupants. After several days, the badgers and all tho monkeys were got back into their cages, the animals discovering that the necessary food was not to bo found anywhere except where a wire door was’ waiting to shut down on them.