TIGERS FACED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23009, 9 April 1938, Page 16

TIGERS FACED

CAGE OVER A BANK IRON BARS BROKEN OPEN! DOORS PROMPTLY SHUT [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] MERCURY BAY, Friday An unusual accident, with an exciting sequel, occurred between Tapu and Coroglen this afternoon when a circus was proceeding from Thames to Mercury Bay, About half-way down a steep hill a bolt came out of a coupling between a motor-lorry and a trailer on which was a cage containing three tigers. The trailer slewed around and fell over a bank, dropping between 4()ft. and 50ft. before it came to rest. One of the circus hands climbed down the bank with a view to seeing whether the tigers were injured. The outer wooden doors of the cage were intact, but on opening these the man was startled to find that the iron bars of the inside door had broken open and that he was gazing into the faces of three very astonished animals. Fortunately the tigers, which were uninjured, made 110 attempt to escape and the man quickly slammed the doors. One of the circus elephants which had already been taken to Mercury Bay was brought back to the scene of the accident and was used to draw the cage up to the road again, the operation taking about two hours, lhe animals performed as usual with the circus iu Mercury Bay to-night.