PLAYING WITH LIONESSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14835, 11 November 1911, Page 5 (Supplement)

PLAYING WITH LIONESSES.

DANGEROUS TRICKS. In Mundy's animal show at Luna Pari? a trainer in one performance put his anus round the neck of a lioness and rested his head calmly on hers. - It was not much to look at—rather tame, in fact, after soma of the other turns; but it.was. the most dangerous moment in the whole of that trainer's performance. He had twice had serious accidents at this part of his show. He told me that, as the lioness came forward at his signal, unless lie puts his arms around her neck almost instantly, elie would strike out at him sharply with her paw. His face still bore deep scars from previous accidents. ' Another trick with this lioness was ;ono in which the trainer took .a long < strip of meat, put one end of it in his mouth, and let the' lioness take ' the other 'in . 'hers. Hardly ' anyone in the ' audience ' realised the terrible danger of this act. To allow , any wild animal to put its ;■ face in such close proximity to the face ;of a person ia in itself dangerous j but to give it ,also the opportunity of snapping or biting at such close quarters is 5 ' foolhardy. • This turn generally passed off very quietly, and • was - not particularly popular with the audience;' but one! evening, when the lioness was in a bad humour, she missed catching the other end of the meat, and instantly' sprang for the trainer. The table between them probably, saved his life,'' t ' and he had the presence of mind to; throw the piece of meat away from him { f but o\, ; even'then 1 she tore his throat and nearly, killed him. , .. M • Few people in the audience realised there had been accident at all, «o 9™: y was the turn ended rand both the Ira nee and the lioness out of the arena. fejpp , » . But afterwards -the trainer very uaMUH , .ftlly refused to do thp trick again.. i