FIGHT BETWEEN A TIGER AND A BULL.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XX, Issue XIV, 2 April 1898, Page 425

FIGHT BETWEEN A TIGER AND A BULL.

By the agency of the Paris letter of the ‘Morning Post’ one gleans details of an extraordinary entertainment given at the Plaza de Madrid recently in the presence of 1,300 spectators. This was a combat between a royal Bengal tiger and an Andalusian fighting bull. The tiger, Cesar, was a fullgrown brute, belonging to Spessardi, the trainer, who had never been able to do anything with it, and had, indeed, once nearly fallen a victim to its ferocity. He sold it for GOOOfr to the director of the Plaza. A cage, seventeen yards square, by four in height, had been erected in the middle of the arena, and the animals were brought on in vans, the bull being the first to be released into the enclosure, The brute immediately began to run round and round his prison, bellowing and throwing up sand and gravel with his hoofs. The instant the tiger entered the cage he gave a roar, and bounded on the bull, avoiding the horns, and fixed on his flanks and belly with both teeth and claws. The bull remained still for a few seconds, and then seemed to be sinking backwards to the ground. The spectators thought that, all was over, but the tiger let go for a second to take another hold, and in the brief interval was kicked over by the wild plunges of the bull. Before the tiger had time to recover, the bull was on him, and sinking his horns into the striped hide, it tossed the tiger into the air. This was repeated four or five times, the bull varying his tactics occasionally by banging his adversary against the bars. When the bull stopped the tiger lay limp on the ground, and the crowd, thinking he was dead, cried ‘Bravo, toro.’ The bull stood stamping for a moment in the middle of the cage, and then, seeing the tiger did not move, approached and smelt him. But Cesar was only shamming death, and seized the bull’s muzzle in his powerful jaws so the animal could no+ move. Eventually, however, he was released, and, after stamping furiously on the tiger, again caught him on his horns. This time the tossing, stamping and banging apparently ended ii Cesar’s death. The cage was then opened, and the bull rushed out, and back to his stable. For precaution’s sake, the tiger’s van was brought up, and to the general surprise, Cesar rose to his feet, glanced round as if afraid the bull was still there, and then bounded into th# van. The tiger was found to have five ribs broken, besides having a number of wounds from the bull’s horns. He is expected-, nevertheless, to survive. It is said that all wild animals—bears, lions, panthers, and tigers—-fare badly in oombat with the Spanish fighting bull. Man and elephant are the. only mire victors over these active and ferocious beasts.