A LION CUB’S TRAVELS

Evening Star, Issue 22086, 20 July 1935, Page 2

A LION CUB’S TRAVELS

FROM JAMNAGAR TO LONDON ZOO Singh was born in the Zoological Gardens at Jamnagar towards the end of March, but ,there was nothing to indicate that he would soon be fated to travel as far as to Regent’s Park. The chain of events was started by a letter from a small boy in, England, in which he asked his mother, 'then; staying as a guest of His Highness the Maharajah Jam Sahib, to bring him a lion or a tiger from India. One night at dinner in the palace the request was laughingly mentioned. It met with an immediate response. Singh, the only male in a litter of three, was then and there presented to the small _ boy, whose mother charged herself with the transport of the gift. Singh was then barely a fortnight old —an odd little bundle of rough fur, the size of a large kitten. Plainly, if he were to stand the journey, he must be gradually weaned. Accordingly, he was separated from his_ mother for some hours every day until he became accustomed to human beings, A strong and amply big enough travelling cage of hardwood was constructed and fitted pn the outside with opaque blinds, which could be pulled in order to give him the darknes which he loved. When the time came for his final separation from his mother he was still too young to lap, and was fed at two-hourly intervals bv having milk poured down his throat, lie put on weight steadily, was safely transported to Bombay, given a day or two’s rest there, and then placed in a sheltered nook in the liner which was to convey him to the West. As soon as he was strong enough to walk a small collar and chain were provided for him; the sight of Singh at his daily exercise on the boat deck of the liner soon became an event of the day He proved as affectionate and playful as a kitten,- early learning to recognise friends and to keep his already formidable claws carefully sheathed in playing with them. It was found that he flourished best on a widely-advertised infant food, to which raw eggs were added. He was brushed and groomed every day as carefully as a prize Pekingese; his coat became sleek and glossy, and he remained entirely free from any trace of zoo smell.” Travelling in the suite of His Highness the Maharajah Jam Sahib, Singh quickly became in every sense the lion of the party. The Italian and the French Governfiients gave him special facilities for crossing their frontiers, but in England as a lion he would fall within the four corners of stringent anti-rabies regulations ; and for a while his owners were in despair. But interest in the journey of an Indian lion cub so young to England, and the : ready acceptance by the Zoological Society of London ot all responsibility for his future as soon as he became too-massive for a'country house jointly evoked the sympathy and help of the officials in the Ministry of Agriculture. The visit of an inspector of the Ministry to the country house which was to be Singh’s temporary abiding place resulted in the declaration that, with a few necessary precautions, a large conservatory and a walled rose garden would be suitable quarantine. , . To these quarters Singh was transported from Dover in his own car; in them he quickly settled down, becoming, if possible, even more good-tem-pered and more tractable than he had been before. But, alas; ho has grown so much in health and strength that, while his manners are perfect, the responsibility of keeping him has become too great for any but the skilled attendants of the Zoological Society’s Gardens. In his splendid quarters there his friends feel sure that he will not disdain to take notice of the children whom he has come to regard as playmates.— ‘ The Times.’