LOS ANGELES LIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20324, 3 August 1929, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOS ANGELES LIONS.

BY LADY ADAMS.

NOTED FILM STARS.

Naturally, being in Los Angeles, tho lions are on tho largest scale; no ordinary lions in a zoo, no, indeed, nothing less than a lion farm for these kings of boasts. Also, naturally, the lions, being near Hollywood, are movie stars. Somo of them aro going to havo talkie parts. Numa, indeed, being tho greatest star lion in the world, ha 3 a fan mail in accordanco with his popularity. His let tors averago three thousand a month, and a(I his letters ask for his photograph. As is tho way with fan mails, stamps aro not always enclosed, lie has worked in over a hundred pictures, and therefore ho is known all over tho world. Ho is insured for £20,000 (pounds, not dollars), and for the last eight years he has made considerably over £2OO0 —again pounds—yearly. Like bo many world-widely-known enterprises, tho lion farm had a small beginning. A Frenchman named Gay, married to an English wife, was a lion tamer at Bostock's menagerie. He is a lithe, smiling Savoyard, with gentlo hands, a sweet voice, quiet eyes, and a raiher soothing manner—all great assets in dealing with lions. When he discovered that I knew his native village well, and that we had often spent wholo summors in a little house on the shores of the lake on which his village looks down, there was noi much ho was not ready to show me in his lion farm. Whon Hollywood was still on approval, M. and Madamo Gay brought out from Bostock'a a lion and two lionesses which wero to be the principal figures in some animal pictures. But tho picures did not mature, and the Gays, liking the climate, invested all their capital in buying the trio, which Bostock and Company wore by this time rather anxious to get rid of. The lionesses had cubs, and then moro cubs, and yet again cubs, and as Mr. Gay put it, "So many lions, so many cubs, so many roars in such small quarters embarrassed everybody near us, as well as my wifeand myself." I do not wonder that the neighbourhood was embarrassed, for they had to keep lions, lionesses, cubs and cublets in tiny outhouses, and, when tho cubs were ill, in their own liitlo flat. Board and Lodging.

They found bigger and bettor and stronger outhouses, and began to charge money to admit the public to 6ce them, and they worked at all sons of jobs—ono at a time, for they never left their junglo unguarded—and finally, somehow or othor, they scraped together enough money to buy five acres of land, about iv.enty miles from Los Angeles, in a part of the world where there was " nothin' doin' " at the time. They laid it out in lion houses and pleasure grounds, bought a new lion and two more lionesses, and turned their a tention to the novel task of farming lions. Of course, the authorities wore startled. Hollywood was springing up, and many unusual things were going on there. Los Angeles was Retting put on the map. But what about all theso roaring lions? Could they, would they, get out ? But the Gavs' watchword is. "Mak' siccar." They calmed municipal fears; thev proved that not even the most intelligent lion could hreak bounds: they signed many Papers and they swore many oaths: and they boean to make monev. for thev had hough) their property when the buying was good. And if is a success. There are over a hundred and forfv lions now. big and tittle—eonntinu heads of all kinds—and thev have honpht more crrotind for a subsidiary farm to feed fhem. For some of fhem are boftle fed—and tha' means mats—and some of the lionesses are temnernment al, and some are pot onite well from fime to time, and 'hev have to be femnted wi'h a nice plump and. of conr«e. thp I'ons. as in PiM«rn? Havs. must b-*ve meat, and thn* a ronnlp of Jiorcos a dnv—'honph •hp hordes nre not ken' at farm—no nepd to ask whore the old horses in T o« fro—tronMe is to fin^ them—and wha' enb is averse to eggs' A Week'y Rest.

But the Gavs and tho lions and the eight men helpers and the whole farm have a close day every Monday. After the flocks of Sunday visitors, when the performing lions have to work double tides, after the noise made by the motois outside tho farm—for on a fine Sunday fifteen hundred motors is an ordinary number—the animals need a rest cure So, on Monday, the lions fast, and get special attention in the way of nailparing, physic, brushing and massaee. And that is why I always go to the farm on a Tuesday. There is never a crowd, the lions are at their most decorative, and they are so htinery. Pluto and Numn are the best known to screen fans, and they are beautiful be yond words. M. Gav rides on Pluto, and Madame Gay le's Numa straddle all over her. and put his paw gently on her head, iust for a second. Rut M. Gay is ahvavs near when Madame Gay is under Numa. and Madame Gay keeps an eye on Pluto an'' her man.

One dav. whon I was there. Numa was lyirc bns'- ; ng in tho sun, looking._ every inch of him. a movie star, when his wi'e came out of their house at the back. <?he had had a nap. and had. ouite evidently, wakened in an extremely bad ♦ emper. She walked down the length of the verv large cage, and as she passed y„ m n th>'"k of it. Numa. the l ; on movie star in fhavlie Chinlin's " Circus " - c» iP deliberately flicked her tail in his face. Vuma hlip'-"°d. Rac 1 ' she came, and did it airain. The crow*—Numa alwnvs _h-»s n crn ,v) laiifrbed. Numa stonned blinkine. Tt'onpb I wnc loncinu to take to my heels, for Numa was lookinc so ancrrv and so dignified, T iust bad to stnv.' for bore was real drama, and besides. M Cnv was there. W'?n<r not at nil alarmed, but mo«» nnnoved wi'h f'O wife and so»-'-v for N"ma: and he toM mp rani'Mv that the den was lion-nroof. °o T sfnved. thn""h I was suffering terribly For poor *mma Varying Gifts. Up and down went tho lioness, as cross as two sticks, and every time 6he passed him she flicked her lord Numa lay like a Trafalgar Souare lion, paws m front, not even blinking, motionless Finding that she could not irritate him. that ho would noi rise to her bait, she stalked the length of the cnge once again, gave him one more flick and went off to her den to finish her nap. Numa remained motionless for about seconds, then blinked, and rose wl '" great dignity He walked very slowly to the far end of the cage, opened his mouth, and roared Just onco: but all the indignation and tho humiliation of a thorourhlv onrnged malo were in that roar. Tho crowd dispersed: T found myself clinging to M. Gay Then Numa came back, once o»ain the movie star lion, tho lion of the fan mail-bag, serene, secure, sure of himself. Anything payer (ban to watch the cubs "play football with tho Gays is hard to find, and Madame Gav to d me that thev can tell a Rood deal a'out their personalities hv the timo thov are a few weeks old. "The temper juid clever onss t''at thev are l>r»n wtb i-cn"'" wiHi them." as she put it: and. according to boir potential capabilities for stardom, co thev are insured. M. Gav has a °20.000 policv on Numa. and there is a hanpy-rro-lncky, elo-!ouslv lovelv cub who has an incredibly large bfe and accident insurance policy. As Madame Gay. who adores her cubs, puts it: " He is worth it—he's worth anything, that little fellow."